


Finding Raelle

by Not_Listening



Series: Sexy Weird [1]
Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: F/F, Implied/Referenced Torture, Mind Control, Raelle needs a hug, alder is lowkey shady, angsty, i wrote most of this at 2am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23844484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_Listening/pseuds/Not_Listening
Summary: I wrote this in a fury after I watched episode five, so none of this follows canon after that.After chaos breaks loose with the Spree attack, Scylla is captured by Lieutenant Quartermaine and questioned about the Spree's plans, while Raelle is forced to confront the fact that her girlfriend has been lying to her.But just because Scylla failed her mission doesn't mean it's over.Scylla had suspected that the Spree's plans for Raelle were less than pleasant, but even she could not have predicted this.
Relationships: Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Series: Sexy Weird [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728937
Comments: 128
Kudos: 488





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this follows canon up until around halfway through episode five, when the Spree attack the wedding. 
> 
> Unfortunately, I wrote this right after episode five, so it probably won't make sense after the next few episodes come out but who cares, right? Right?

The music of the wedding filled the air around the dance floor and Raelle allowed herself to let go and relax, finally enjoying a night of freedom from responsibility with the girl she slowly found herself falling in love with. 

Raelle glanced upward to find Scylla already looking at her, blue eyes filled with a mixture of love and anxiety. 

Raelle’s brow furrowed as she noticed her girlfriend’s worry.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, squeezing Scylla’s shoulder reassuringly. 

Scylla’s eyes darted upwards at the sound of the clock chiming. They widened slightly, and Raelle saw a look of panic pass across Scylla’s face. 

Scylla shook her head slightly, and the worry and panic seemed to disappear from her face entirely. “Um, nothing.” she spoke, once again meeting eyes with Raelle. “Let’s just dance.” 

Raelle smiled back at her and nodded, dismissing her earlier concerns and resuming their dance. 

They danced for a few more minutes, simply enjoying each other’s company before Scylla let out a sigh and leaned her head against Raelle’s shoulder. 

“Just remember that whatever happens, I love you.” she spoke softly into the blonde’s ear, eyes closed in resignation.

Raelle allowed herself a moment to bask in the love that Scylla declared before she thought about what the girl had really said. 

“What do you mean ‘whatever happens’?” Raelle asked, eyebrows furrowed and concern clear in her voice. She pushed Scylla off her and met her eyes. “What’s going on, Scyl?” 

There were a few moments of silence where Raelle stared at Scylla in confusion and worry. Scylla swallowed before she opened her mouth to explain. 

Before she could speak a word, a loud scream interrupted her, causing everyone to turn towards the buffet table where a woman was pointing up into the sky in horror. 

“Balloons!” she cried in terror. 

Chaos consumed the wedding, guests desperately pushing others aside in their panic to get inside the house where it might be safe. 

Raelle took a second to comprehend before she began to usher people inside, shaking people out of their stupor and yelling at everyone to get inside. 

Near the buffet, soldiers and lieutenants began to sing a storm in an effort to push the balloons out of earshot. 

Raelle looked around at the dance floor and checked that everyone was headed to safety before she began to run towards the house herself. She paused, however, realizing that her girlfriend wasn’t next to her like she had thought. She desperately looked around, growing more and more panicked as she saw no sign of Scylla. 

“Scylla!” she yelled over the noise of the brutal wind, running back to the dance floor in  hopes that she was still there. 

Before she could search any longer, Raelle found herself distracted by the sudden screams that filled the air. Looking back towards the front of the house, she saw dozens of people filing into the area, presumably more Spree members, beginning to attack the wedding guests. 

Raelle launched herself from the dance floor, grabbing her scourge and striking the nearest Spree member. The scourge latched itself on the man’s ankle and dropped him to the ground, and Raelle wasted no time in bringing the whip back up to strike another Spree member running towards her in the chest. She spun around, the whip twirling around her as it struck another incoming enemy, this time in the face, propelling him backwards, holding his cheek in pain.

Before Raelle could continue, the Spree she had knocked down earlier pulled himself off the ground and ran at her, brandishing his dagger. She dodged just in time to avoid a knife to the shoulder, but the blade grazed her upper arm, leaving a large gash. She winced slightly before she was forced to throw herself to the side to dodge the man’s next strike. As she moved, she once again threw her scourge up with deadly force and accuracy, slamming it into the man’s back and knocking him down to the grass where he didn’t move again. 

Raelle had no time to rest before more Spree began to surround her. She stood up from the crouch she had been in, finding herself face to face with about 5 Spree members. 

There was a slight pause before Raelle grabbed her whip and swung it in an arc around her, hitting three of the Spree and leaving the other two to rush her. She threw herself to the side, dodging their attacks and immediately standing back up, grounding herself and releasing a powerful windshear at the two of them. They were thrown across the grass, landing ten feet away, unconscious. 

Before Raelle could react, an enemy launched herself towards her and buried a dagger into Raelle’s shoulder, causing the blonde to release a cry of pain and flinch back, falling onto the grass. 

Three smiling enemies now surrounded her, and she groaned as one of them kicked her viciously in the stomach. They all laughed and she gritted her teeth, struggling to stand up once again. 

Before any of them could do more, a scream sounded and the Spree members were thrown backwards, away from Raelle. 

Raelle looked behind her in confusion and found Tally rushing towards her, eyes concerned. 

“Oh my goddess, Raelle,” she exclaimed, helping the blonde off the ground and onto her feet. “Are you okay? Why were you fighting them alone?” 

“I’m fine, Tally,” Raelle grunted, brushing herself off and looking around. Spree still milled around the property, locked in battles with other witches. There was still no sign of Scylla in any of the chaos. “Scylla’s gone, I don’t know where.” 

Tally grimaced at the mention of Scylla’s disappearance, shaking her head. “Do you know why they are so focused on you?” she asked in confusion. 

“What do you mean?” Raelle asked, brows furrowed. She blinked looking around and noticing that many of the other witches were only facing one or two Spree at a time. 

“Around six of these guys flocked over to you as soon as the fighting started.” Tally explained, eyes wide. “It took me a while to get over here, I was dealing with some guys of my own.” 

Before the two could dwell anymore on the subject, a shout alerted them to two Spree members running at the pair. Raelle reacted first, reaching once again towards her scourge, swinging it in a circle around them, tripping up one of the Spree and causing them to fall to the ground. The other jumped above the whip and continued running, tackling Raelle to the ground as she reached her. 

“We are Spree.” she spat in Raelle’s face, pulling her arm back and landing a blow against the girl’s cheek. Before she could strike her again, Tally grabbed the woman and threw her to the ground, screaming at her and launching her across the garden in a rage. 

As the next Spree came at her, Tally took out her own whip, swinging it in an elaborate spiral and striking the man in and the chest and sweeping his legs out from under him. The force of the blows left him unmoving on the grass as Tally ran back towards Raelle. 

She helped the girl up, grabbing Raelle’s shoulders in both assurance and an attempt to steady the girl, as she wobbled dangerously as soon as she stood up. Raelle grunted in pain at the grip on her shoulder wound, and Tally immediately drew her arm back. 

“Sorry, Raelle.” she spoke quickly, glancing around to check for anymore immediate threats. Finding none, she turned around to face Raelle once again. “C’mon we have to find Abigail.” 

Raelle nodded in agreement, blinking a couple times and shaking her head, trying to regain her focus. Her shoulder wound was throbbing with pain, and she could feel the bruise forming where she had been kicked. Not to mention the massive bruise that would inevitably form on her cheek. That wasn’t gonna be fun.

She forced herself to clear her clouded mind, running after Tally towards the house. They ducked past the numerous battles surrounding the lawn, approaching the entrance of the mansion. 

Walking in, Raelle and Tally found themselves faced with two Spree, and before anyone could move, Raelle launched herself forwards, throwing her leg out and sweeping the first enemy to the ground, swiftly knocking him unconscious with a kick to the face. Tally followed Raelle’s lead, brandishing her whip at the other Spree, swinging it in a dangerous arc that knocked the woman to the ground unmoving along with her associate. 

Both Tally and Raelle ran up the stairs, worried for Abigail. Running through the hallway, they heard a rustle coming from one of the bedrooms. Leaving no room for consideration, Raelle threw herself at the door, bursting into the room and finding Abigail locked in a struggle with three Spree members. 

She and Tally launched into action, joining the fight. Raelle grappled with the man near the door, catching him off-guard. She tackled him to the floor and landed a few punches before he threw her off of him. Landing hard, Raelle barely had time to dodge the man’s foot flying towards her face. She launched up from the floor, swinging her whip and knocking down the man with a swift blow to the chest. 

Tally ran to the attackers near Abigail, throwing herself towards the woman nearest to her and landing a kick to the woman’s stomach. Abigail herself recovered from her vulnerable position, launching her knee into the other man’s groin as he was distracted and then knocking him out with a hard punch to the jaw and a kick in the gut. 

Tally finished the fight, viciously kicking the woman in the face, knocking her swiftly unconscious. 

Heavy breathing filled the room as the girls allowed themselves a moment of rest. However, all three of them jumped when Abigail’s mother burst into the room, a mix of worry and fury evident on her face. 

“Oh, Abigail!” she cried, rushing over to her daughter. “You’re okay! I was so worried!”

“I’m okay mom,” Abigail chuckled softly, returning her mother’s hug. “Is everyone else okay?”

The woman took a moment to collect herself before she released her daughter. She turned to address all the girls. “Charvel and her husband made it out okay. Charvel managed to fend off an attacker long enough for me to find her after the attack began. I left to come find you and she went outside to help the others.” 

There was a moment of silence before Abigail spoke, nodding. “We should go help too.” 

Raelle and Tally nodded their agreement, and Abigail’s mother also agreed. “Let’s go help our sisters, girls” 

The group ran back down the stairs and towards the lawn. They found themselves faced with a few scattered battles taking place across the grass. Tally and Abigail ran to assist the witch across the lawn while Raelle and Petra faced off against the two Spree next to the entrance. Between the two of them, they were able to take down the enemies relatively fast and they rejoined the others after a few minutes. 

The witches were able to fend off the attack rather well, overall. While there were some losses, the terrorists were mostly defeated, and many witches were left standing. 

After a few moments, the guests began to tentatively file out of the mansion, gazing upon the field of fallen Spree and witches and upon the still-standing soldiers all spread out across the property. 

Raelle ignored the guests and instead focused on one of the Spree next to them that was slowly waking up. 

She approached the man, leaning down and gripping the front of his shirt. She glared at him threateningly and narrowed her eyes. ‘Why did you attack us?” she spat at the man. “What was this attack about?” 

The man chuckled softly, only to be interrupted by his own cough, blood flying from his mouth. “We are the Spree.” he gargled as the other witches began to surround them. “And you will join us soon enough.” 

Raelle furrowed her brows in confusion as the man simply grinned. Suddenly, a dagger flew upwards, cutting Raelle’s forearm and forcing her to lose her grip on the man’s shirt. 

“You will join us soon enough, Raelle Collar, whether you want to or not.” he called tauntingly to her as he fell back against the grass. Without warning, he brought the dagger to his neck and sliced his throat without hesitation. 

Raelle reeled back, gripping her arm in pain as blood poured from the wound. As the man died, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his prone form. 

Why did he know her name? 

Voices. People were talking to her. She shook her head, trying to clear her crowded head. 

She looked up and found herself face to face with Lieutenant Anacostia. She was talking to her. “...Private? Are you hearing me?” 

Raelle blinked hard, eyes meeting with Anacostia. “Where’s Scylla?” she asked. She needed Scylla. Where was she?

Anacostia simply looked at her, face unchanged. Then she looked up at Tally and Abigail. “Go get her somewhere safe.” she said. “She’s hurt, don’t let her do anything stupid.” She threw a look back down at Raelle. 

Raelle forced herself to stand, ignoring the wave of dizziness that overtook her as soon as she did. “Where is Scylla?” she asked again, desperation creeping into her voice. 

Anacostia began to walk away. 

Raelle went to run after the woman, only to be held back by Tally. She turned back to face her unit partner, panic clear on her face. “Why won’t she answer me?” Raelle asked her. “Where is Scylla? What aren’t you telling me?” 

Tally just looked at her in sympathy. 

Raelle could feel herself become gradually more dizzy. Where was her girlfriend? Why wasn’t anyone answering her? She was suddenly aware of just how much her shoulder hurt, not to mention her arm. She blinked hard, noticing the blackness creeping over the edge of her vision. 

The last thing she saw was Tally rushing forward, eyes filled with concern. Then everything went black. 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raelle recovers and learns some truths

Raelle could hear voices. 

“When will she wake up?” a soft, worried voice asked. “She’s been asleep for so long already.” 

“She lost a lot of blood.” a grittier voice answered. “She’ll be fine, but her body needs time to recover.”

Hands. There were hands on her arm, squeezing her bicep comfortingly. 

Forcing herself to try and focus, Raelle pried her eyes open, blinking a few times at the brightness of the room. 

“Raelle!” a voice cried excitedly to her right. “You’re okay!” 

Raelle craned her neck over to the right of the bed she was in, finding Tally sitting at her bedside, smiling with joy. 

Raelle smiled back at her and attempted to sit up, with difficulty. 

“Careful, you’ve been asleep for almost a day and a half now,” Tally warned, grabbing her arm and trying to gently help Raelle sit up. “You should be fine in a couple hours, but take some time to rest for now.”

Raelle cleared her throat and groaned as she finally was able to sit up, leaning back against the headboard of the bed she was in. “Is everyone okay?” she asked, voice still raspy from disuse. 

“Yeah, mostly everyone’s okay.” Tally said. “There were a couple of deaths, but most everyone survived the attack.”

Raelle nodded, tilting her head back in an attempt to block out her growing headache. She could feel the wound in her shoulder throbbing with pain, and, looking down, she noticed numerous stitches running along her forearm where the dagger had sliced it open. Her abdomen also seemed to be bruised, along with her cheek, which was slightly swollen and purple. 

Tally saw her glancing at the stitches and her shoulder and caught her confusion. “We would have had some healers tend to you, but most of them were worn out from healing other injuries from the ambush, and most of your injuries weren’t immediately life-threatening.”

“Right.” Raelle nodded. “Where’s Abigail?” 

Tally jerked her head towards the door. “She went to go grab some water for us.” 

As if on cue, Abigail stepped into the room, carrying two bottles of water and squinting down at the label. “I’m not sure if this water is actually water? It says it has ‘health beneficial chemicals’ inside and-” 

She stopped as she glanced up at her unit partners, face splitting into a smile when she saw that Raelle was awake. “Finally!” she exclaimed, walking over to the bed. “I swear to the goddess, I thought you would sleep forever.”

Raelle chuckled slightly, nodding back at her. “It honestly feels like I’ve been sleeping forever.” she said. “I can’t even imagine how I look right now.” 

“I have to tell you, shitbird,” Abigail said, setting the waters down on the bedside table. “You’re not looking too hot. When you collapsed after the ambush, it looked like you were dead.”

Raelle shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint.” she said, shaking her head apologetically. 

“It’s fine,” Abigail said, smiling slightly. “Maybe next time.”

Tally scoffed, punching Abigail lightly in the arm. “Don’t even joke about that.” she said, glaring disapprovingly at the two of them. 

Abigail frowned, grumbling under her breath, and Raelle couldn’t help but smile at the exchange. The unit might not have always gotten along, but she could confidently say that she trusted both of these witches, regardless of how they had started out.

A comfortable silence filled the room before Raelle cleared her throat and glanced at the other two girls. “So is anyone going to tell me what happened to my girlfriend?” she asked, narrowing her eyes slightly in suspicion at Tally’s guilty look. 

The silence quickly became uncomfortable. 

“Will you guys stop treating me like a child?” Raelle exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air in exasperation, wincing slightly at the sudden pain that shot through her shoulder and arm at the motion. “I deserve to know what happened.”

Tally sighed, finally meeting her eyes and nodding. “You’re right, Raelle.” she said. 

Abigail shot her an alarmed look. “Tally, are you sure this is a good idea?” she hissed, glancing back at Raelle as if the bedridden girl couldn’t see or hear her. 

Raelle rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Abigail.” she shot back at her, once again focusing back on Tally. “Tally, tell me what happened to Scylla.”

Tally cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable. “This might be difficult for you to hear,” Tally spoke hesitantly, before she shook her head and straightened, gazing surely at Raelle. “Scylla was Spree.” 

Silence filled the room and Abigail and Tally watched as Raelle’s expression changed. Her eyes widened and her face began to morph into one of denial and alarm. She opened her mouth to immediately protest and defend her girlfriend, but Tally interrupted her. 

“I caught her communicating with a Spree member in the bathroom.” Tally said, closing her eyes and wincing at the thought. “She was speaking into the mirror and talking about delivering someone to a planned extraction point. When I looked at the mirror after she left, I saw a balloon. Scylla is Spree.”

Raelle let loose a breath, reeling from the information. Scylla was Spree. She had been lying to her the whole time. Was that even her real face? How could this have happened?

Raelle avoided the gaze of her unit partners as she threw her head into her hands, trying desperately to process this information. But how could she process that her entire relationship with this girl had been a lie. She had loved Scylla. Really loved her. And she was Spree. She worked for the murderous terrorist organization that Raelle was dedicated towards fighting. And she had  _ lied.  _

“Raelle?” Abigail asked hesitantly. “You okay?” she reached out and placed a comforting hand on Raelle’s uninjured shoulder. 

Raelle unceremoniously shook off the hand and quickly recollected herself. “What happened?” Raelle asked coldly, eyes dark with anger and betrayal. “Where is she now?” 

Tally’s eyes widened at Raelle’s change in demeanor. “I don’t think you-”

“ _ Where is she now?”  _ Raelle asked again, ice creeping into her voice. 

Abigail put her hands up in surrender, silently asking that Raelle calm down. “Anacostia has her.” she said, narrowing her eyes at Raelle’s rage. “We don’t know where. You need to rest now, sit  _ down  _ Raelle-” 

Raelle ignored her, ripping the IV from her arm and standing from the bed. She wobbled slightly before she marched out of the room, closely followed by Tally and Abigail, who were yelling at her to calm down and  _ think for once, damn it.  _

Raelle didn’t have time to think. She needed to see her girlfri- she needed to see Scylla. If just to ask her  _ why?  _

She stormed through the familiar halls, ignoring the pain radiating through her body at the sudden motion, finally coming face to face with Sergeant Anacostia’s office. 

Tally and Abigail were still behind her, loudly voicing their opposition and telling her to go back to the infirmary. “You’re being an idiot, Raelle,” Abigail cried, noticing where they were. “Are you really going to walk in, guns blazing, asking to see the highly dangerous Spree prisoner because you’re mad at her-” 

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do, Bellweather.” Raelle said, finally acknowledging the two of them with a glare. “And either I go in there alone, or we go in there as a unit. Your choice, because I am not leaving without getting some answers.” 

There it was. An ultimatum. 

There was a tense silence before Tally sighed and nodded. “Fine, we’ll go together,” she said, stepping forward next to Raelle. “But for the record, I still think you’re being stupid.”

Raelle gave Abigail an expectant look. 

“Whatever, fine.” Abigail groaned, stepping forward as well. “Might as well do something stupid as a unit rather than alone.” 

Raelle nodded in agreement, the smallest smile creeping onto her face before she turned around to face the door, her face once again an icy mask. 

She knocked firmly against the steel door, narrowing her eyes when it wasn’t Anacostia who answered. 

The woman wore a military uniform similar to the Sergeant's, her dark hair long enough the reach past her shoulders. Her gaze met Raelle’s and she narrowed her eyes. “Privates,” she addressed them sharply. “What are you doing here? Sergeant Anacostia needn’t be bothered by childish matters-”

“I need to see Anacostia.” Raelle interrupted, just as sharply. 

“Excuse me, Private?” the woman asked in shock. “I believe I just told you that she is too busy to be concerned with the likes of you-”

She was interrupted by Anacostia herself, who heard the exchange and peered around the doorway to see what was going on. “Collar.” she said, as if she expected this to happen. “How long have you been awake?” 

Raelle ignored the question, pushing past the woman and entering the spacious office, followed closely by her unit. “Where is Scylla?” she asked, allowing a bit of anger to creep into her voice. 

Anacostia simply sighed, glancing at Tally and Abigail, eyebrows raised. “So you told her, then?” she asked them, pursing her lips in disappointment. “I believe I told you that she would be better off without knowing-” 

“Stop talking like I’m not here, Sergeant.” Raelle interrupted, earning a glare from the woman who had stopped her earlier. She ignored the woman, addressing Anacostia. “ _ Where is Scylla?”  _

“You know I can’t disclose that information, Private,” Anacostia answered coldly. “Especially considering how  _ close _ you are to this particular issue.” 

“You know I’ll find her,” Raelle returned, glaring at the woman. “Whether you tell me where she is or not.” 

“You better hope I don’t think you’re serious, Private,” Anacostia warned, voice raised in anger. “Because disobeying my direct order could result in a  _ serious  _ disciplinary action.” 

“I don’t care!” Raelle yelled at the woman. “ _ Where is she?”  _

“That’s it, Private!” Anacostia yelled. “You just got six laps around the whole base. And if I get word that you stop for more than  _ two minutes _ , that’s another two laps.” 

The vase in the corner of the room spontaneously exploded, sending chunks of ceramic flying across the room. 

Anacostia turned to look at the vase, startled. Her eyes widened and she turned back around to find Collar storming out of the room, her unit closely following behind. 

There was a tense silence as Anacostia watched Raelle leave the room, her eyes widened with shock and confusion. She finally blinked, turning back around to face her colleague. “Go find someone to make sure she runs those laps.” she ordered, pausing slightly at the woman’s pleased face as she walked off to enforce Collar’s punishment. 

Anacostia herself was left to clean up the shards of the vase from the floor. She knew that she had let her anger get the best of her during that exchange. It wasn’t fair to punish Collar for being heartbroken and angry that she had been lied to. But Anacostia had looked into her eyes and she saw real rage and sadness in her gaze. Scylla had done a number on that girl, and Anacostia had directed her anger at the wrong person. She cared greatly for the girl, and it was tough to see her in such turmoil, especially after the attack at the wedding. 

Anacostia took a few minutes to clean up the ruins of the vase. It was startling to see that extent that Collar’s power reached. She had known the girl had gifts, but to use magic without even uttering a sound? It was unheard of. She knew that Raelle was unaware of her uniqueness and it was better that she stayed in the dark. As long as she didn’t know about them, her powers could stay within her control. But Anacostia was concerned. Her power was beginning to reveal itself, and there was little that could be done to prevent it. Evidently, the Spree also knew about her budding ability, probably due to Scylla informing them. Anacostia grit her teeth at the thought of the Spree agent. Anacostia would see her later, and then she could show her exactly how angry she was. 

* * *

Raelle collapsed onto the grass in front of her barracks, panting heavily. She was covered in sweat, legs burning and stomach churning. She had thrown up twice during her run, collapsing onto the grass and dry heaving. She definitely stopped for more than two minutes on multiple occasions, but never more than five. She knew better than to push her luck any farther when it came to Anacostia. 

As she lay panting in the grass, a sudden wave of nausea swept over her, and she forced herself off the grass and towards the bushes nearby. She heaved into the leaves, breathing heavily after she finished, laying down against the cool cement of the sidewalk. 

“Hey, Raelle.” a voice from above her sounded, and Raelle opened an eye just long enough to spot Abigail and Tally standing above her. 

“Ugh,” she groaned, closing her eyes again. 

“Yeah, we know.” Abigail said, rolling her eyes and leaning down to help Raelle off the ground. 

With some effort, Raelle was able to heave herself off the ground and stand on shaky legs next to her unit. 

“Wow, that was an intense punishment for some backtalk.” Tally mentioned conversationally as they walked together towards their room. “Six laps is usually reserved for some more serious violations.” 

“I think Raelle might have just broached a sensitive topic” Abigail said. “Anacostia was already angry about Scylla and then a lowly Private demands to see the Spree prisoner? Six laps probably seemed appropriate to her at the time.” 

Raelle let out a grunt of agreement as Tally nodded. 

They finally reached their room, and Raelle collapsed onto her bed. 

“Ew, Raelle!” Tally exclaimed, rushing over to the bed and pulling an exhausted Raelle off the mattress. “You’re disgusting, at least take a shower.” 

Raelle grumbled but eventually acquiesced, acknowledging that,  _ yes,  _ she was disgusting. 

She stepped into the bathroom and undressed, groaning as she stretched her stiff muscles. Seeing her recent injuries, she sighed and began wrapping her shoulder and arm wounds in plastic wrap. It was better that they didn't get wet for the time being. 

Stepping into the shower, she let out a sigh of relief as the hot water cascaded down her tired joints. She refused to think about all that had happened over the last three days, turning off her brain for a few minutes. Mindlessly going through the motions, Raelle finished and stepped out of the shower, quickly towelling herself off and throwing on a sweatshirt and some spare joggers.

Ignoring the world around her, Raelle stepped out of the bathroom and fell face first onto her bed. It took her mere seconds to fall asleep, much to the amusement of her roommates, who giggled slightly as they heard Raelle’s snores begin. 

A comfortable silence filled the room, only Raelle’s soft snores breaking it. 

Abigail let out a resigned sigh. “She’s not going to give up on this, is she?” she asked Tally, raising an eyebrow. 

“Oh, of course not.” Tally answered, frowning. “It’s horrible that this happened to her. I can’t imagine.”

Abigail said nothing as Tally shook her head. “I don’t know.” Abigail finally spoke. “It’s horrible that Raelle’s heart got broken, but that necro girl was always shady if you ask me.” 

“You’re just saying that because you didn’t like her.” Tally said, shooting a glance up at Abigail. 

“And apparently,” Abigail said. “That was for good reason. The girl ended up being a terrorist for goddess’ sake. I’m surprised she even got caught at the wedding, I bet she was part of the whole attack.” 

Tally furrowed her brows and shook her head. “From what I overheard in the bathroom,” she said, craning her head to look over at Raelle’s prone form. “It sounded like she was following orders from someone. She sounded scared, to be honest.”

“Well, that’s what you get for being a murderous terrorist.” Abigail said, rolling her eyes as a bit of anger crept into her voice. 

“I don’t mean that as a defense or anything,” Tally said, looking down to the floor. “It just sounded like she was, I don’t know, afraid Raelle would get hurt. Assuming Raelle was the ‘she’ she was supposed to deliver to the extraction point. And she didn’t even end up following through on her orders. Raelle was still here when the attack happened.” 

“Yeah, that was kind of weird.” Abigail admitted. “Why do you think the Spree is so interested in Raelle, anyway?”

Tally shrugged. “No idea. She seems pretty normal to me.” 

Abigail nodded, but furrowed her brows slightly at Tally’s comment. “I don’t know Tally, you saw that vase back there. She didn’t make a sound when it exploded. That kind of stuff doesn’t just happen.” 

“She probably used a seed and we just didn’t see it.” Tally insisted. 

“But that doesn’t explain the things that keep happening during training.” Abigail pushed. “All I’m saying is, before Raelle showed up, shit like that didn’t just happen. And now we’ve seen it happen a couple times.” 

“Maybe you’re right.” Tally conceded. “But all that matters right now is that the Spree is clearly targeting her, and we won’t let anything happen, right?”

“Right.” Abigail said, determined. “No one messes with my unit and gets away with it.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scylla is questioned by Anacostia, and Raelle struggles with training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just because I don't like it, I'm making it so that Scylla didn't set off the bomb in the mall at the beginning. That was another Spree agent.

Raelle knew. 

There was no way she didn’t know by now. Scylla had been compromised and captured. Although, all things considered, she might be better off with the military rather than with the Spree. 

At least she hadn’t completely betrayed Raelle. Well, more than she already had. Leaning back against the cold steel of her cell, she put her head in her hands. 

Well, this had quickly devolved into an utter shitshow. 

It was supposed to be simple. Go to Fort Salem. Find Raelle Collar. Get Collar to trust her and then deliver her to the extraction point. Simple. Until it wasn’t. 

When she first approached Collar, she could see the admiration and curiosity in the girl’s eyes. She was attracted to Scylla. And so Scylla proceeded in a way that was only natural. She turned on the charm and completely seduced Raelle. That was definitely a way to earn her trust. 

But then… Raelle had been kind, and caring, and genuinely earnest in her feelings. And the more Scylla pretended to care about the girl, the easier it became, until one day, she wasn’t pretending. Spending time with Raelle was like a breath of fresh air, an escape from the shithole that was her life. And even Scylla could feel the chemistry between the two of them. She had felt it since the first kiss. She remembered being surprised at how much she had enjoyed it at the time, but she had written it off as her enjoying her first kiss in months. 

Laughing bitterly, Scylla shook her head. She was so stupid. 

She was in love with Raelle, and she knew the girl felt the same way. 

Or… she  _ had  _ felt the same way. That was certainly not true now. Now, the only thing Scylla had to look forward to was getting killed. Either by the military or the Spree. Or Raelle herself if she ever found her. 

It was what she deserved. While she hadn’t participated directly, she was affiliated with a terrorist organization that had killed thousands of people.  _ Thousands.  _

She had heard those news reports, and she remembered inwardly shuddering at the murder of so many people. And yet, she continued to follow the orders of the Spree. The Spree that had killed innocent people.  _ Killed children _ . She was stuck. If she dared to leave or defy any of her orders, she would definitely be killed. No excuse, but it had driven her to do terrible things in the name of the Spree. She killed Porter. That was her. That was murder. And even worse, Raelle almost ended up dying because Scylla was so stupidly impulsive. 

Yeah, she deserved to die. And Raelle definitely deserved better than the likes of her. 

Scylla’s depressing thoughts were interrupted suddenly by the sound of harsh footsteps on the metal floor. 

Looking up, Scylla saw Sergeant Anacostia approaching the door of her cell. Stopping in front of the bars, she glared at the girl inside before she unlocked the door and walked into the cramped space. 

“Sergeant Anacostia,” Scylla said, raising an eyebrow. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” 

Anacostia scoffed, raising an eyebrow at Scylla. “Heard you haven’t been eating, Ramshorn.” 

Scylla sighed, allowing a lazy smile to spread across her face. “What, now you care about my health?” she asked. “I was under the impression that you weren’t very fond of me, Sergeant.” 

“I’m not.” Anacostia replied bluntly. “But it would be better for everyone involved if you would just cooperate. And in order to do that, you need to live long enough for Alder to ask you some questions.” 

Scylla’s smile dropped. “Why doesn’t she just get it over with?” she asked, exhaustion clear in her voice. “I’ll be dead either way. Why bother eating when you’ll kill me in the end?” 

Anacostia said nothing, no sympathy clear on her face, not that Scylla expected any. “You want to get it over with?” sh asked, a bit of anger creeping into her previously emotionless voice. “Fine, let me ask you a few questions.” 

Scylla looked up at the woman warily as she approached. Without warning, Anacostia grabbed her arm and jerked Scylla up into a standing position, eye-to-eye with the woman. Scylla blinked hard, trying to ignore the wave of dizziness that passed over her as she stood. 

“Why?” Anacostia said simply. 

Scylla forced herself to focus, meeting Anacostia’s cold gaze. “Why what?” she asked.

“Why would you go after Raelle?” Anacostia asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why would you work for the Spree? Why did the Spree attack the wedding? What is their purpose? What are their plans? Tell me everything, Ramshorn.” 

Silence filled the room as both women stared each other down. Finally Scylla conceded. “I’ll tell you everything I know, but can I please sit down first?” 

Anacostia scoffed, turning back to the bars of the cell and jerking her head to the guard, who nodded and quickly brought a pair of fold out chairs for the women to sit in. 

“All right, now that you’re comfortable, Ramshorn, time to answer a few questions.” Anacostia said, glaring at the girl in front of her. 

“Ask away, Sergeant.” Scylla said, appearing completely relaxed despite the turmoil that raged inside her. 

“What are the Spree and what is the purpose of these attacks.” Anacostia questioned, getting straight to business. 

Scylla sighed. “When I joined, I was under the impression that it was a group that protested the enslavement of witches under the draft and the military. I had hated the military for as long as I could remember. My parents had just been killed and I was angry. So I joined the Spree.” she said, looking at the ground. “I was stupid. They lured me in with promises of justice and vengeance. But before I knew it, I was in too deep and they were killing innocent people. I couldn’t just leave, they would’ve killed me. So I acted like a coward and kept doing exactly what they told me to do.” 

“Great sob story,” Anacostia interrupted. “But you still haven’t answered my question. Why are they committing mass murder against innocent people?” 

“I’m not completely sure. Like I said, I initially thought it was about anti-military and all that junk, but I’m pretty sure that’s just a cover to recruit people. I don’t know for sure, but my best guess is that the Spree wants to create chaos. By creating tension between global powers and spreading fear, it creates the perfect opportunity to seize power.” 

Anacostia nodded, her expression unchanged. “What are the Spree’s future plans?”

Scylla shook her head. “I honestly have no idea, I was kept in the dark about all of their plans. It’s hard to say what their true agenda is.” 

Anacostia nodded again, as if she expected this answer. “What do the Spree want with Raelle?” 

Ah. The million-dollar question. “I don’t know.” Scylla said truthfully. “My mission was to gain her trust and eventually deliver her to the extraction point where the Spree would retrieve both of us. I don’t know why.” 

Anacostia frowned, finally showing some displeasure in one of Scylla’s answers. “You’re telling me that you have no idea why the Spree would be interested in Raelle? They didn’t tell you anything about the reason before they sent you on the mission?” 

“Nope.” Scylla said. “I was just a foot soldier.” 

Anacostia narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Why are you telling me all of this so freely?” 

Scylla cast her gaze downward. “I’m going to die either way.” she answered, shrugging “Might as well go out being helpful.” 

Anacostia gave her a flat look. It was clear that Scylla didn’t give a real answer, and Anacostia wasn’t in the mood. “Listen here, Ramshorn, you either tell me or this becomes a lot harder than it needs to be.” she warned. 

Scylla looked up to meet the woman’s gaze. Her eyes were dull with apathy and exhaustion. “I guess it’s my way of atoning, Sergeant.” she said. 

Anacostia simply shook her head, standing from her chair. “I’m sick of your bullshit, Ramshorn.” 

Scylla stood up as well, turning around and heading back to the far wall where she had been sitting previously. “Yeah, me too.” she muttered. 

Anacostia grabbed both chairs and unceremoniously handed them back to the guard before she approached the door of the cell. “You better eat something, Ramshorn, or I’ll have someone come in here and make you.” 

With that, she opened the door and began to leave. 

“Is she okay?” Scylla asked suddenly, not looking at Anacostia. 

“I’m sorry?” Anacostia asked, glancing back at the girl. 

“Is Raelle okay?” Scylla repeated, quieter this time. 

There was a tense moment of silence before Anacostia spoke. “Not that you deserve to know,” she spat. “But yes, she’s fine. She took a bit of a beating at the wedding, but she recovered.”

With that, Anacostia left the cell, firmly shutting the door and making sure Scylla was securely locked in. 

Scylla herself looked up at the ceiling, allowing a small smile to form on her face.

Raelle was okay. 

Scylla sighed in relief, closing her eyes and settling in for many more hours of solitude. 

* * *

  
  
Much to Raelle’s chagrin, life seemed to return to normal. While she seemed to be the only one still focusing on the wedding incident and what had happened, everyone else seemed very eager to move on. 

Begrudgingly, Raelle was forced to join them. She went to training, she listened to Anacostia without attitude or complaint. She was just going through the motions at this point, and she struggled to care. 

She knew her unit was worried. Hell, she would be worried to. If Abigail or Tally began to act like she was acting right now, she would be worried as hell. There was no passion or even interest in anything she was doing right now. She avoided talking to anyone, shutting herself in the barracks every opportunity she had. 

Raelle was still intent on finding Scylla, wherever she was. Unfortunately, she had no idea where to start. She had searched everywhere on base that she could think of, and there was no sign of Scylla. Anacostia wasn’t cutting her any slack, refusing to even speak to her outside of training. 

She felt completely useless. 

She debated on asking her unit for help, but she wrote off that idea, concerned about their reactions. She knew they wouldn’t approve, thinking she was struggling to “move on” or whatever. 

She definitely wasn’t. She just wanted answers. She wanted to know if the Scylla she had fallen in love with was a real person at all. 

“Collar!” a harsh voice interrupted her thoughts. “Are you listening, Private?” Anacostia yelled at her from where she stood at the center of the training mat.

Raelle looked up from her place around the mat and nodded at Anacostia, eyes dull. “Yes, ma'am.” she said, face unchanging. 

Anacostia frowned at the sound of Raelle’s voice. Usually she had a bit of spunk in her voice when she spoke. Now she just sounded… empty. “Then get up here on the mat and demonstrate it for us.” she demanded, hoping it would spark some sort of emotion from the girl. 

No such luck. Raelle stepped onto the mat without complaint, face unmoving and eyes cast downward. 

“Use the method I just taught you and take me down, Private.” Anacostia said, staring flatly at Collar. 

Raelle simply nodded and moved into her fighting stance. After a moment of stillness, Raelle finally ran at her, trying to use Anacostia’s method of taking someone down. She was stopped when Anacostia suddenly stepped to the side and, faster than should be possible, grabbed Collar’s arm and twisted it painfully behind her back, forcing the Private to the floor. 

“Focus, Collar!” she demanded, tightening her grip of Raelle’s arm before she let go and allowed her to fall to the mat. “You let your guard down and I took advantage. Again.” 

Raelle, breathing heavily, dragged herself off the mat and met eyes with Anacostia. There! Anacostia could see a spark of anger in the girl’s eyes. Finally she was showing some sort of emotion. 

Raelle huffed and got into a fighting stance once again. This time, she took almost no time at all before charging at the Sergeant. Anacostia again moved with almost unbelievable speed that came with years of training and launched her own attack, swinging her leg out at Raelle as she approached. 

To her credit, Raelle did dodge the kick and manage to wrap her arms around Anacostia, tackling her down to the mat. Anacostia quickly recovered, though, and within seconds, she held Raelle in a tight chokehold. “Escape, Private!” Anacostia ordered. Raelle struggled in her grip, her legs flinging out wildly. She growled and screamed in anger as she tried to escape Anacostia’s iron-clad hold, but to no avail. “Now, Private!” Anacostia yelled, further riling up the girl and tightening her chokehold. 

Raelle finally let out a scream of frustration, eyes opening wide with rage. Rage at Anacostia for putting her on the spot like this. Rage at the Sergeant for refusing to let her see Scylla. Rage at herself for not knowing where Scylla was or how to find her. Rage at herself for being useless. 

The scream echoed throughout the building and yelps of surprise and shock sounded from the cadets as the overhead lights above the group shattered. The more Raelle seemed to struggle, the more intense things seemed to get. Storm clouds were brewing near the ceiling and bolts of lightning were manifesting beneath them. Thunder sounded and wind churned throughout the room, causing many of the recruits to look up to the sky nervously and back to Raelle, who was still viciously struggling. The windows shattered from the force of the wind and the recruits gasped and ducked away from the falling glass. 

Without warning, Raelle let out another cry of frustration and Anacostia was thrown across the mat, releasing her hold on Raelle and grunting as she hit the ground hard. 

She looked up in shock at Collar, eyes widening when she saw that Collar’s eyes now seemed to glow with an icy blue tinge. Raelle stood, her figure radiating with power as she did so, and, seeming to realize where she was and what was happening, she blinked a few times. 

Shaking her head and glancing around, she saw her fellow recruits looking at her with a mix of awe and fear. Looking back at Anacostia with her regular blue eyes, she noticed the shock that was written across the Sergeant's face. 

Raelle’s own eyes widened as she took in the shattered glass covering the floor and the broken windows.

Anacostia finally seemed to regain her bearings and stood from her place on the mat, eyes still focused on the increasingly agitated Private. She approached the girl as if approaching a wild animal, her hands held up in surrender. “Collar,” she addressed her, voice calm but still strong. 

Raelle shook her head, closing her eyes and breathing heavily. She noticed Anacostia approaching and backed away. “I’m sorry.” she said softly before she turned tail and sprinted away from the gym. 

Raelle kept running, trying to control the emotions running wildly through her mind. She was overwhelmed, head spinning with so many different thoughts and emotions that she struggled to stay upright as she ran. 

She didn’t know exactly where she was running, but her feet seemed to have a mind of their own, running through the weaving hallways and passing the barracks and the infirmary until she finally arrived at her and Scylla’s tree. 

Running into the shady area under the canopy, she allowed herself to collapse and break down. Tears streaming down her face, a choked sob emerged from her lips and she buried her face in her knees to muffle the sound. 

She needed Scylla. She needed to talk to Scylla and work this out with Scylla. But wait, no, Scylla was Spree. She was Spree, and she was evil, and she never loved her. Scylla was a lie. 

She needed to move on. She needed to just forget about Scylla and live her life. 

But try as she might, Raelle couldn’t forget about the girl she had fallen in love with. She could still feel Scylla’s soft lips pressing against hers so many months ago. She could remember the way Scylla’s bottom lip trembled as Raelle promised that she’d always be with her. She remembered the way Scylla had smiled softly at her after Raelle asked her to dance for the last time, the “of course” that had passed her lips as she followed Raelle to the dance floor. More than anything, Raelle remembered how Scylla had confessed her love. She confessed her love when she was actively supposed to be betraying her and delivering her to the Spree. In the end, she chose Raelle over the Spree. 

And she was gone. 

Raelle didn’t know how long she stayed there before Tally found her, eyes red and swollen, staring at the ground numbly. 

“Raelle, oh my goddess, we were so worried.” She whispered, wrapping her arms around the girl in a tight hug. 

Raelle blinked and sniffled, as if just now remembering where she was. She noticed Tally hugging her in relief and brought her arms up to reciprocate, hugging the girl tightly and burying her face into her shoulder.

“C’mon, Raelle.” Tally said, finally separating the two of them and leaning back. “Anacostia wants to see you.”

Raelle shook her head, looking up at Tally in concern. “Tally…” she started. 

“Raelle, you’re going to have to deal with this eventually.” she said, helping Raelle up from the grass. “You can’t just avoid her forever.” 

“I can try,” Raelle muttered, but there wasn’t with any intent behind it. She knew Tally was right, and she eventually conceded, joining the redhead as she began the trek to Anacostia’s office. 

  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raelle has an odd exchange with Anacostia, and Abigail and Tally notice something sinister a little too late to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone in the comments told me that I've been saying Lieutenant Anacostia instead of Sergeant Anacostia the entire time, so I did my best to fix that in the second and third chapters. Hopefully it's all fixed but I probably missed a couple. sorry :(

“I’m going to let you see Ramshorn.” Anacostia spoke bluntly. 

Raelle’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard what I said, Private.” Anacostia said sharply, turning around to face Raelle. 

Raelle shook her head in disbelief. “Yes, I heard you,” she said unsurely. “I’m just confused. Why are you letting me see her?”

Anacostia let out a quiet sigh, taking a seat in front of Raelle and giving her a straightforward look. “Collar,” she said. “I think you and I both know that what happened in training is decidedly  _ not  _ normal. And, if you ask me, your powers are acting up because you’re not in control of your emotions.” 

Raelle looked down at the mention of her breakdown at training. She was just as confused as everyone else, and these new abilities were developing way too fast for her liking. She didn’t enjoy not being in control, and she had never been very good about dealing with her emotions. It wasn’t a great combination. 

“But do you know  _ why  _ this is happening, Sergeant?” Raelle asked, a desperate edge creeping into her voice. “How do I make it stop?” 

“I don’t know, Collar.” Anacostia answered honestly. “I’ve never dealt with something like this before . I believe the best course of action would be to get a handle on your emotions. You’re filled with rage right now and you  _ need  _ to control it, Private. I’m letting you see Ramshorn because I think it would do you some good to get some closure.” 

Raelle didn’t say anything. She had been thinking about finding and confronting Scylla for weeks now, but even thinking of seeing her right now made her sick to her stomach. What would she even say to her? How would she react? 

“Private?” Anacostia prodded, noticing the look in Raelle’s eyes. 

“When can I see her?” Raelle said, shaking her head and looking at Anacostia with a newfound determination. 

“Now, if you’re up for it.” she answered, raising an eyebrow at her shift in attitude. 

Raelle looked down at herself. “I’d like to freshen up a bit, if that’s okay with you?” she said, slightly sheepish about her unfortunate appearance

“Hurry up, Private.” Anacostia said, rising from her chair as Raelle did the same. “I’ll meet you in front of the barracks in ten minutes.” 

It was a clear dismissal, and Raelle hurried out of the office and started making her way to her room. 

When she got there, she was met with the worried faces of both Abigail and Tally. When they noticed her presence, they rushed over to her and started asking a flurry of questions. 

“How did it go? What did Anacostia say? How did you do that in training? Did she talk to you about that?” 

Raelle held her hands up in surrender, eyes wide as she took in all their questions. “I don’t really have time to talk right now.” she said, making her way over to her drawer and beginning to change into a black sleeveless shirt. “Anacostia is letting me speak to Scylla, I’m meeting her outside in ten minutes.” 

“What?!” both Tally and Abigail exclaimed as they followed her into their small bathroom. 

“I know.” Raelle said, splashing some water on her face and making sure her eyes weren’t red or swollen anymore. “I was just as surprised. But she says I need to get a handle on my emotions and gain some closure, whatever that means.”

There was a moment of silence as Abigail and Tally processed the new information. “What are you going to say to her?” 

Raelle froze, then she slumped over and sighed. “I have no idea.” she said, closing her eyes in frustration. 

Tally’s eyes shifted, growing sympathetic while Abigail’s face remained unchanged. 

“I’d kick her ass.” Abigail said bluntly. 

“Abi!” Tally hissed, hitting her unit partner on the arm. “Although she’s right, I’d totally kick her ass too.” 

Raelle gave them both a look and then conceded. “Yeah, I don’t blame you guys.” she said. “I totally want to kick her ass for what she did.” 

Abigail sighed and then approached Raelle, gripping her shoulder reassuringly. “Look, I can’t tell you want to do in this situation.” she said. “But you’ll know what to do and say when the time comes. Just... trust yourself, okay, Raelle?” 

Raelle glanced up at her, and seeing her sincerity, she nodded, returning Abigail’s squeeze on the shoulder. 

“Hate to interrupt this amazing bonding moment here,” Tally said, peeking between them. “But Anacostia will kill us if you’re late, sooooo.” 

Raelle stood up, nodding. “Got it, Tally,” she said, already walking to the door. “I’ll see you guys later, alright?” 

“See you later, Realle!” Tally called out the door. 

“Good luck, Shitbird!” Cried Abigail as Raelle left, earning a small chuckle from the girl. 

Raelle struggled to remain confident as she walked to the front of the building. She could feel her stomach drop as soon as she saw Anacostia waiting in front of a black car. 

“Took you long enough, Private.” she said shortly, walking around the car and stepping into the backseat. 

Raelle hesitated. This was all happening too fast. She was about to see Scylla. 

“Are you coming, Raelle?” Anacostia said. 

Raelle blinked a little at the use of her first name. She didn’t think she had ever heard the Sergeant use her first name before. Shaking it off, she shook her head and stepped into the car, ignoring the way her stomach lurched as soon as the driver started leaving the base.

* * *

  
  
“How do you think that’s going to go?” Tally asked Abigail as she watched the car leave from the window of the barracks. 

“Oh, I think it’s a horrible idea and we’re going to be left to pick up the pieces.” Abigail answered bluntly. 

“You think?” Tally asked, turning to look at her, gaze questioning. 

“Yeah, I’m not sure what Anacostia was thinking when she had this idea, but it is definitely not gonna get Raelle any closer to moving on. This just gives her more reason to dwell on that Necro piece of shit Spree-”

“What  _ was  _ Anacostia thinking?” a harsh voice sounded from behind them. 

Both Tally and Abigail whipped their heads around, shocked to see Anacostia herself standing in the doorway of their room. 

“Sergeant Anacostia?” Tally said, utterly confused. “How are you here, we just saw you leave?” 

Anacostia raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, cadets, I’m right here?” she said, stepping forward. “I was actually hoping to talk to Collar about what happened in training.”

“Oh no.” Tally and Abigail said at the same time. 

“What is it?” Anacostia said, her voice becoming alarmed. “What’s going on?” 

“Raelle just came in a few minutes ago after meeting with you about the training session.” Abigail quickly explained, becoming more and more panicked as she began to work out what had happened. “She said you agreed to let her meet with Scylla, which we all agreed was weird. But she just left to go see Scylla with someone who looked exactly like you, Sergeant.” 

Anacostia’s eyes widened in alarm and fear. “Girls, grab your gear.” She ordered quickly. “I’ll go inform the General of the situation and you two meet me outside in five minutes.” 

“Sergeant, what’s happening?” Tally asked desperately.

Abigail answered instead. “The Spree has Raelle.” 

“And we’re going to do everything in our power to get her back,” Anacostia finished.

* * *

  
  
Raelle couldn’t shake the feeling that something was  _ off  _ about this whole thing. When did Anacostia ever change her mind about something? Rarely, that's for sure. And it was rather strange how fast this had happened. She had just had a breakdown in training a couple hours ago and now she was on her way to see her secret Spree agent girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend. Whatever. 

“Raelle,” Anacostia asked softly. “Are you okay?” 

Raelle raised an eyebrow at that. Not only had Anacostia used her first name, she had spoken softly, concern clear in her voice. 

“Um, yeah,” Raelle said, turning away from her to gaze out the window instead. “I’m fine.” 

How far away was this place anyway? They had already been driving for around 20 minutes by her estimate, and it didn’t seem as though the driver was preparing to stop anytime soon. 

“Where are we going?” Raelle asked, giving the driver a glance before looking back at Anacostia. 

“You know that’s confidential.” she said bluntly. 

“How far away is it?” Raelle pushed. “We’ve already been driving for a while.” 

Anacostia’s jaw tightened. “We’re going to see Scylla,” she said through gritted teeth. “That’s all you need to know right now.” 

Raelle’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Anacostia was acting very strange. She let it go, however, turning back and facing the window once again. 

“You know,” Anacostia said suddenly. “You’re a very powerful young lady.” 

Raelle said nothing, eyes narrowed as she stared at the rapidly passing trees outside the window. 

“It’s a shame we couldn’t get to you any younger.” the Sergeant said conversationally. “But your mother always refused.”

Raelle whipped her head around. “What?” 

“Your mother.” Anacostia said, reaching a hand into the folds of her uniform. “She refused to hand you over when you were younger. It’s too bad she had that  _ accident _ on the beach.” 

Raelle’s eyes widened in anger as she realized what Anacostia was implying. In a fit of rage, she suddenly lunged at the woman beside her, teeth bared and a snarl ripping its way from her lips. 

Anacostia expected this turn of events, however, and threw a windstrike at the girl before Raelle could get any closer. Raelle was stopped in her tracks and thrown back against the door of the car, landing hard against the window. 

Groaning, Raelle struggled to recover from the blow. Before she could gain her bearings and sit up, however, Anacostia calmly leaned over to the girl, holding something Raelle couldn’t see clearly from her position on the floorboard. 

Quickly, though, Raelle realized what it was when she felt the sharp prick in her neck and a wave of dizziness fell over her. 

Through her tilted vision, Raelle could make out Anacostia returning the syringe into her jacket before she pulled out a shiny metal lighter. 

Raelle groaned as she struggled to sober up, dragging herself back onto the seat and moving towards the door. Her movements were painfully slow, though, and her attempts to open the door were useless when the car driver quickly locked the doors and threw on the child lock. 

Raelle could see the black creeping on the edge of her vision, and she groggily turned back around to face Anacostia. However, it was quickly becoming clear that it wasn’t actually Anacostia next to her as the woman brought the lighter up to her face. 

Raelle watched in shock as Anacostia’s face seemed to burn up, eventually being replaced with an unfamiliar face. She had strong features and piercing blue eyes. Her hair was a light red color and she stared Raelle down as the girl finally fell into unconsciousness, unable to fight the drug any longer. 

“We are the Spree,” said the redhead, giving Raelle an evil smile as the cadet groaned, eyes closing. “And you will join us, Raelle Collar.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scylla knows something is wrong, while Raelle meets her captors and decides that she doesn't like them very much

Scylla abruptly jolted awake, knowing immediately that something was  _ wrong.  _

When she had created the bond between Raelle and her, she hadn’t told Raelle that it also connected them emotionally. Whenever either of them had any intense outbursts or uncontrolled emotions, the other could feel what was going on. 

At this point, Scylla was accustomed to sensing fits of rage from Raelle’s end of the bond, which was to be expected. Earlier today, she had sensed an intense amount of anger radiating through the bond and Scylla allowed herself a bit of concern for the other girl. That amount of rage could result in accidents, considering how potent Raelle’s abilities were. 

Eventually, however, the anger had fizzled out and was replaced with an empty, numb feeling. 

Scylla had frowned at this, eyes downcast as she thought of Raelle struggling to work through all of this alone. 

Tired of feeling this uncontrollable guilt, Scylla had resolved to take a nap and calm down. Hopefully this would help Raelle calm down a little, too. Scylla doubted it, but it didn’t hurt to try. 

Unfortunately, it seemed that Raelle hadn’t calmed down at all. The opposite actually. 

Scylla jolted awake with a strong feeling of  _ fear.  _

That was very concerning. Raelle rarely felt fear, and even then, it was usually mild, a slight sense of nervousness or unease. 

The feeling that had just radiated through the bond however, was pure, unadulterated  _ fear.  _

Scylla’s eyes widened, knowing that wherever Raelle was, she was in danger. She stood abruptly, running over to the bars of her cell, calling over the guard. 

“Hey!” she cried, surprising the guard. She hadn’t spoken to him at all since she had arrived. “I need to speak to Anacostia, it’s urgent!” 

“Sit down.” he answered bluntly, staring straight ahead and avoiding her gaze. 

Scylla cursed under her breath. She couldn’t charm him to go get Anacostia, the constant low screeching radiating throughout the room prevented her from doing so. Thinking fast, she once again called over to the guard, trying to get his attention.

“Will you quiet down?” he said, annoyance creeping into his voice. 

“Tell Anacostia that I have more to tell her.” she said desperately. “I can tell her about what the Spree is planning! I was holding back before!” 

There was a moment of silence before the guard looked back at her skeptically. Then he sighed, beginning to walk towards the exit. “This better be worth it,” he muttered. “Or it’s your head.”

Scylla watched him leave, anxiety rising in her chest. Pacing back and forth, she struggled to contain the worry she felt for Raelle. What was going on? Was she okay? 

Scylla felt as if time was moving slower as she waited for the guard to return with Anacostia. Although the feeling had long since faded, she could still feel the tendrils of fear that had come through the bond so suddenly. The bond was quiet now, Raelle’s emotions quickly and abruptly cut off, and that was almost more terrifying than the earlier terror she had felt. 

Scylla once again looked towards the entrance, wringing both her hands and struggling to stay calm. Something had happened to Raelle and whatever it was, it wasn’t good. And Scylla had a sinking feeling that it had to do with the Spree. 

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the loud footsteps of Anacostia approaching the cell. The look on her face was cold and her eyes were filled with intense anger. Scylla couldn’t help but step back in alarm as she watched the Sergeant storm over to her cell. 

Scylla’s eyes widened and she began to protest when Anacostia burst through the cell door and aggressively walked towards her. Her protests were quickly interrupted, though, when Anacostia grabbed the front of her shirt and slammed her hard against the steel wall of her cell. 

“Did you know about this?” she spat, eyes burning with rage as she held Scylla against the wall. “Did you know that the Spree were planning this?” 

Scylla struggled against her grip, eyes wide. “Know about what?” she choked out. 

“You know damn well what I’m talking about, Ramshorn!” she said, pushing her forearm against Scylla’s throat to keep her in place. “Where are they taking her?” 

Scylla struggled to breath, desperately grabbing at Anacostia’s arm, but it was unmoving. “Raelle…” she choked out. “..in.. danger..” 

Anacostia gave her a final glare before she removed her arm and let Scylla drop to the ground. “Where are they taking her?” she spat. 

Scylla tried to regain her breath, gripping her throat in pain. “I don’t know.” she rasped. “I didn’t know they were planning on taking her from Fort Salem.” 

Anacostia scoffed, disbelieving. “Please,” she replied sarcastically. “Just tell me where she is, Ramshorn. This is getting tedious.” 

Scylla pulled herself off the group, coming face to face with Anacostia. “I don’t know where she is,” she told her honestly. “But I know a way to find her.” 

Before Anacostia could respond, more footsteps were heard from the entrance of the prison, and Scylla saw both Tally and Abigail running towards them. 

“Sergeant, c’mon,” Abigail said insistently. “We have to follow the car!” 

Anacostia glanced back before she looked at Scylla once again. “The car is a dead end, girls.” she said, frowning at Scylla. “The Spree, unfortunately, knows ways to cover their tracks, and it’s been too long since they left.” 

Tally frowned. “Then what are we supposed to do?” 

Abigail scowled and entered the cell, shooting Scylla a glare full of fire. “We could always interrogate Necro, here.” she said, jerking her head at Scylla.

Scylla glared right back at her. “I already told you,” she said fiercely. “I don’t know where they are taking her but I know a way to find her.”

“How are we supposed to believe you?” Tally asked. “You’ve betrayed us before.”

Scylla resisted the urge to groan. “Listen, every moment that we spend debating this is another moment that the Spree has Raelle.” she said. “Regardless of her feelings for me or my past mistakes, I care about Raelle. Believe it or not, I’ve cared about her for a while. And right now, she’s scared and in danger, and all I want to do is help find her, okay?”

All three women remained silent, narrowing their eyes in suspicion. 

“She’s right.” Tally said finally. 

“What?” Abigail said disbelievingly, turning to Tally. 

“We need to find Raelle, and right now all we’re doing is wasting time.” she said. 

“Very well.” Anacostia said. “What is your plan, Ramshorn?” 

Abigail held up her hands. “This is foolish.” she said incredulously. “She’s obviously leading us into a trap.”

Scylla ignored her. “Around the time of the wedding, I created a bond between me and Raelle.” Pointedly ignoring the growl Abigail let out at that, she continued. “The bond is still open and that means that we can locate Raelle through that.” 

“Oh sure.” Abigail said skeptically. “Convenient for you, don’t you think? The only way to find Raelle is to release you.” 

Anacostia narrowed her eyes. “How are we supposed to use the bond at all?” she questioned. “As far as I was aware, bonds like these only communicate emotions, not location.” 

“They do,” Scylla said. 

Abigail scoffed, throwing her hands in the air. 

“ _ But,”  _ Scylla continued pointedly. “If one of you can cast a locator spell on me, It can strengthen our connection long enough for me to figure out where Raelle is through the bond.”

“This is such a hunk of bullshit.” Abigail said. 

“How do you know this?” Tally asked suspiciously. 

“When I started to realize my… feelings… for Raelle,” she said quietly. “I created the bond for this specific reason, in case the Spree did actually capture her.” 

“Wait, what?” Tally said, brows furrowed. “I heard you in the bathroom at the wedding. You were planning on delivering her to the ‘extraction point.’” 

Scylla sighed. “I had already decided that I wasn’t going to do it,” she said, casting her gaze downwards. “I needed to keep my cover with the Spree for as long as possible so that I could protect Raelle.” 

The room was quiet. 

“Craven,” Anacostia said suddenly. “Cast the locator spell on her.” 

Tally hesitated slightly but then nodded, stepping towards Scylla and beginning to cast the spell. 

“Bellweather,” Anacostia said, turning towards Abigail. “Go inform the strike team of the plan and prepare everyone to go off-base.”

Abigail nodded, shooting Scylla a hateful glance as she left.

Anacostia turned back to the other two, noticing that Tally had finished the spell. “Feel anything, Ramshorn?” 

Scylla opened her eyes wide and looked off into the distance, as if she could see something they couldn’t. “She's to the north.” she said surely. “She’s farther than I thought, we should start moving north now.” 

Anacostia raised an eyebrow. “Craven, get this girl some clean clothes, but keep her away from any weapons and put this on her.” she ordered, throwing Tally an odd device that looked similar to a collar. “It keeps her from using any seeds.” she explained at Tally’s confused look. 

“We leave in ten minutes.” Anacostia said, already leaving the prison to tend with the strike team. 

* * *

Raelle came to in a dark room with stone walls and a chill in the air. Trying to stand, she noticed both her hands tied around the back of the wooden chair she was seated in. Her feet were also bound to the legs of the chair, keeping her in place. 

Most alarmingly, Raelle noticed the weird device that was wrapped around her neck that seemed to press into her vocal chords. She had a feeling she knew what the device did. Her suspicions were confirmed when she attempted to throw a small windstrike, only for the seed to die in her throat, launching her into a violent coughing fit.

“So I see you’ve discovered our Silencer.” a voice echoed from the far wall of the room. 

Raelle finally recovered and stopped coughing, breathing heavily and glancing up at the woman in front of her. It was the woman from the car earlier. The redhead. “What do you want?” she rasped, glaring at the woman and struggling harder against her restraints. 

“We just want what you want, Raelle.” the redhead said, giving the girl a wicked smile. “To stop the enslavement of witches.” 

Raelle scoffed. “I think we both know that killing thousands of civilians isn’t ‘freeing witches’,” she said, snarling at the woman. 

“Oh, but it is,” the redhead said, approaching Raelle and roughly grabbing her chin, forcing the cadet to look at her. “We’re freeing witches from the presence of humans. And we’re freeing them from the control of General Alder.” 

Raelle struggled in the woman’s grip, eyebrows furrowed. “What does General Alder have to do with this?” 

“Everything, Raelle.” the redhead said, giving her prisoner one final look before releasing her grip on the girl’s face. “You will soon see things our way.” 

“Not. Likely.” Raelle spat, anger lacing every word. 

“Oh, but my dear.” the redhead smiled. “You won’t have a choice.” 

Raelle said nothing, but a twinge of fear ran through her at that. 

“Gentlemen, if you could assist me?” the redhead called out to the exit. 

At her orders, two burly men walked into the room, approaching Raelle’s chair. Raelle felt them untie her hand and legs, but before she could make any sort of move, they had her in an ironclad grip. She struggled as they carried her over to the woman, the two men hardly even moving for how much Raelle was writhing in their grip. 

Raelle stopped as she came face to face with the redhead once again. The woman gave her a sweet smile, looking at her almost tenderly. Reaching out and brushing stray strands of hair behind Raelle’s ear, her face remained impassive as Raelle flinched back and released a wild scream as she continued to struggle. “It’ll be over soon.” she said softly.

Raelle lost it at that, pulling her head back and launching it into the woman’s face as hard as she could. 

A satisfied smirk spread across Raelle’s face as the woman cried out in pain and reeled back, clutching her nose as it bled profusely. The woman looked at her and sneered, looking up at one of the men and nodding. 

Before Raelle could react at all, she was held back by one of the men as the other launched a fist into her stomach. The air left her body and she barely had time to react before the man landed another blow to her face, leaving her to slump over in the other man’s grip. 

Raelle struggled to focus, spots dotting her vision after the punch. Before she knew it, both of the men were dragging her over to the corner of the room where a scary-looking metal table sat. 

Raelle was powerless as the men slammed her against the table, restraining her arms and legs with leather straps. The woman walked over and stood to the side of the table as the men finished restraining her. They finally stopped after fixing yet another strap around her forehead, further limiting her range of motion.

She struggled against the bindings, but to no avail. There was absolutely no give and the edges of the leather were cutting painfully against her skin. 

The redhead approached the side of the table, looking Raelle up and down as she did and making sure each restraint was tightened. She leaned over the side, meeting her gaze with Raelle’s and giving her a creepy smile. “Comfortable?” she asked, raising her eyebrow. 

Raelle didn’t respond, directing her gaze to the ceiling and scowling. 

She jerked away, however, when the redhead ran her long fingers softly up Raelle’s arm, ending at her chin. She held her pointer finger on Raelle’s face and forced the cadet to look at her. “You’re going to help us win this war, Raelle.” she said, a smirk on her face. 

Raelle growled, shifting once again in her restraints as she struggled to get free. “I would  _ never  _ help you.” she snarled at the woman. 

“We’ll see about that.” the redhead responded simply, retracting her finger and walking away from the table. 

Raelle almost thought that she had left the room for a moment until she heard the sound of wheels rolling against stone as she redhead approached again, rolling a metal tray of sorts behind her. Raelle struggled to make up what was on the tray and what the woman was doing, but she had a limited range of motion, unable to lift her head from the table. 

As far as she could see, the woman was hunched over the tray and working on a tool of sorts. Which wasn’t scary at all. Not at all. 

Raelle took in a quivering breath, trying to stay calm. Someone had to have noticed that she had left with an imposter. Someone was coming to help. 

The woman turned abruptly, giving Raelle an evil smile. Now that the woman was facing her, she could see that the tool she had been fiddling with was actually a knife. Upon closer inspection, the knife was engraved with a series of runes and seemed to glow eerily in the dark of the room. 

Raelle’s eyes widened as she saw the knife, and she began to struggle violently in her bindings, hoping for a miracle. That knife looked sharp, and she sure as hell didn’t want to be at the end of it. In the back of her mind, she wondered why her powers weren’t working. Sure, she had the silencer around her neck, but she had used her magic without using her voice before. She could do it again. 

Trying her hardest to focus on her rage and fear, she struggled to conjure up any sort of magic to save herself. 

She was abruptly stopped however, as a painful jolt ran its way through her, ripping a small scream from her lips before she could stop herself. 

“I can see you trying to use your magic, Raelle.” the redhead told her, clicking her tongue as she went back to the knife. “That won’t work. Those restraints of yours will shock you if i press this button.” she pointed back towards the try where a remote was sitting. “Don’t make me do that. It’ll be over soon, don’t worry.” 

Raelle was still breathing heavily as the woman approached the edge of the table, brandishing the knife. She couldn’t help the sudden rage that overtook her body at the sight of the knife and the painful shockwaves still coursing through her body. “You bitch!” she screamed at the woman, writhing in her restraints and baring her teeth at the woman. “I will kill you, I swear on the Goddess--” she was interrupted by another jolt through her body as the woman electrocuted her again. 

“If you don’t calm down, Raelle.” she spoke calmly, ignoring the grunt of pain from the cadet. “I’ll be forced to do that again.”

Raelle groaned, gritting her teeth as the woman began to cut open the front of her shirt, ripping the material and exposing her abdomen. Her stomach moved up and down rapidly as Raelle began to panic, the knife close to her skin. 

“Don’t worry Raelle,” The redhead said, focusing on her task. “I’m going to make this all a lot easier for you.” 

Raelle’s screams echoed through the room as the redhead began. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unit + Scylla work on saving Raelle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a long chapter
> 
> Please comment if you enjoy!!

Scylla gasped suddenly, a jolt of blinding pain running through her and causing her to collapse with a groan. 

“Scylla?” Tally asked, alarmed as the necro lay writhing on the floor of the van. “What’s going on?” 

“Raelle…” she grunted. “Hurt…” 

Abigail growled, standing up and moving towards the front of the van. “Do you see anything out there? Are you sure we’re headed the right way?” 

Anacostia glanced back. “This is where Scylla directed us. I’ll let you know if I see anything.”

Looking back, Abigail saw Scylla begin to stand shakily, walking over towards the two of them and breathing heavily. “They’re hurting her.” she said, anger radiating from her very being. 

Anacostia and Abigail remained silent. 

Scylla looked out of the front window, eyes closed as she reached out, trying to sense Raelle. “We’re definitely heading in the right direction. She’s close.” 

Abigail simply gave her a glare as she brushed past, heading back to her seat. “You’ve been saying that for the past 20 minutes. I’m beginning to think that this is all bullshit.”

“There!” Scylla called suddenly, pointing out in front of the van. “To the right, there’s a walled off road!” 

Anacostia slammed on the brakes, bringing them to a stop in front of the closed-off road. 

Getting out of the car, Tally and Abigail approached the gate, worried about any alarms or traps. When they sensed none, they simply pulled both doors of the gate open wide, ignoring the large ‘do not enter’ sign shown on the fence. 

They piled back into the van, tense with unease as they entered the closed off road, the strike team following behind them. 

All together, there were about 8 witches on this rescue team, and yet Tally couldn’t help but be concerned. What exactly were they walking into, here? But, Raelle was in trouble, and they couldn’t just leave one of their unit. 

Anacostia drove cautiously now, slowed to a creep as they continued down the gravel road. Scylla stood beside her, eyes scanning their surroundings for any sign of activity. 

Nothing happened as they approached, but they eventually found themselves faced with a large warehouse area. From the treeline, they could see Spree agents milling around the premises, standing guard. 

There were about 10 surrounding the building from what Scylla could see. But she knew in her soul that Raelle was inside. “She’s in there.” she said, glancing back at the other two. 

Anacostia grabbed her walkie-talkie, telling the strike team that the target was in the building and there were ten enemies surrounding the building. 

Tally and Abigail waited patiently for her orders as they listened. Scylla moved to the back of the van, waiting by the back door. 

“What, do you think you’re going with us, Necro?” Abigail asked incredulously, stepping in front of the girl. 

Scylla glared and stepped forward as well. “She’s my girlfriend. I need to help.” 

Abigail let loose an empty laugh at that. “You think she’s your girlfriend?” she spat,  looking down at Scylla threateningly. “You weren’t there when she found out about your lying ass being Spree. She’s definitely not your girlfriend and you’ll be lucky if she doesn’t kill you herself.”

Scylla stood her ground, trying to keep the pain from her eyes. “I’m going with you.” 

“No you’re not, Ramshorn.” Anacostia said, standing up from the driver’s seat and walking to the back of the van. “I don’t want to worry about you getting hurt or betraying us out there. You don’t have any weapons and there’s a silencer around your neck. You’ll be a liability.”

“I can still fight!” Scylla protested.

“But you won’t.” Anacostia said, motioning for Tally and Abigail to follow. “You’re staying here.” 

Without another word, the three left the van and left Scylla shaking with anger. 

Anacostia jogged over to meet with the strike team, Abigail and Tally close behind. 

Everyone split into groups of two, except Anacostia, who went solo, allowing the witches to strike from four different angles. Tally and Abigail crouched and ran along the tree line to the left side of the building, where they waited for the signal. 

When the bird call sounded through the trees, clear and loud, Abigail and Tally leapt into action, running to attack the three spree guards near the side entrance of the building. Tally easily took out the first Spree, wrapping her scourge around his neck and slamming his up against the wall.

Abigail used a different method, choosing to tackle the second enemy bodily to the ground before landing a solid punch to the jaw. From there, she stood and viciously kicked the man in the face, knocking him out. 

Before she could react though, another body slammed into her as the third Spree counterattacked. However, he was unable to land any strikes against her before Tally hit him with a strong windstrike, throwing him hard against the brick wall of the building.

Tally quickly helped up Abigail and they ran to the front of the building to see if anyone needed help. 

It seemed as though everyone had taken down their targets okay. They all reassembled at the front entrance, awaiting orders from Anacostia. 

Anacostia herself was walking over after dealing with her target, back facing the treeline.

She began to address them with the next course of action, but was interrupted by warning shouts from the other witches. Turning around, she saw a rogue Spree agent charging at her, too fast to possibly evade. 

Without warning, a blur of motion intercepted the attacker just in time, tackling him to the ground and saving Anacostia. 

Scylla punched the agent in the face, knocking him out quickly and ending the altercation. 

She looked up at Anacostia, meeting her gaze without a hint of remorse. “I’m coming with you, whether you want me to or not.” she said, determined. She could still feel the constant dull ache of pain radiating from her abdomen, presumably due to whatever was happening to Raelle. She couldn’t just sit there and let it happen any longer. 

Anacostia said nothing, simply turning around to address her soldiers. “Once we get inside, team alpha will split off and clear the building of any more Spree. Me, Ramshorn, Bellweather, and Craven will retrieve Collar and get her out as fast as we can. Got it?” 

Everyone nodded, Abigail glaring at Scylla as she did so. 

“Alright, witches,” Anacostia called. “Move out!” 

The witches burst into the building, team alpha immediately spreading out to clear the building. Anacostia’s group moved cautiously through the winding main hallway of the building, Scylla in front, leading them to Raelle. 

They all stopped suddenly at the sound of a piercing scream coming from below them. Scylla turned with a pained look. “Raelle’s down there.” she said, turning around and leading them through the building to the stairs that lead down into the basement area. 

Tally swallowed harshly, trying to ignore the screams that sounded from below them. It was definitely Raelle and she was definitely in some serious pain. 

Anacostia didn’t hesitate, rushing down the stairs and following the sound of the screams. She hesitated slightly when she reached the end of the hallway and Raelle’s screams were abruptly cut off as she reached the door. 

She motioned for the other girls to follow her closely before she reached for the door handle, trying it once and then moving to kick the door down.

There was a moment of tense silence before Anacostia threw her foot into the door, slamming it open and rushing into the room, closely followed by the other girls. 

Looking rapidly around the dark room, Scylla let out a horrified gasp as she spotted Raelle in one of the corners, illuminated by a single, bright lamp shining onto her prone form. She was strapped tightly down to a metal table and her stomach was covered in blood. 

Scylla rushed over to her, trying to control her tears as she took in Raelle’s bloody form. 

Her abdomen seemed to be bleeding profusely, scratches and gashes spread out all over her skin, seemingly carved into her by a knife. 

Abigail and Tally rushed over as well, gasping as they took in the situation. 

“It’s a rune…” Abigail said softly, examining the gashes all across Raelle’s stomach. Upon closer examination, they seemed to form a pattern. Or a rune. “Some sicko carved a rune into Raelle’s stomach.” 

Scylla paid them no mind as she grabbed Raelle’s face, looking into her eyes for signs of life. Raelle blinked wearily in response, eyes glazed over and radiating pain. They widened slightly as she saw who was in front of her before they quickly softened. 

“Scylla…” she rasped, letting out a deep sigh. “I was coming to see you. You’re here.” she smiled softly, her hand moving slightly as if she wanted to touch Scylla’s face, but couldn’t, due to the straps trapping her against the table. 

“Raelle,” Scylla said, voice cracking. “We have to get help, you’re in no shape to heal yourself right now--” 

“You’re so beautiful.” Raelle whispered, interrupting her. Her eyes were shining with tears as she spoke. 

Scylla turned to the other two, alarmed. “We need to get her help, I don’t think she knows where she is.” She began to work on freeing Raelle from the straps.

The other two nodded, turning around to tell Anacostia but freezing when they saw who was standing beside the door. 

“Guys, didn’t you hear me?” Scylla said, still focused on Raelle. She had freed her right arm now and moved to the strap around her forehead. “She needs help! She can’t think straight and she’s losing a lot of blood.”

There was no answer and Scylla whipped her head up angrily. She froze at the sight of a redheaded Spree agent holding Anacostia in a death grip, a knife pressed against her throat. 

It was her old handler. 

“Ah, Scylla,” she said, smiling at Scylla’s shocked expression. “On the contrary, actually. Raelle is finally going to have a clear mind. Now step away from the girl or I kill your Sergeant here.” 

Abigail and Tally hesitated for a moment before stepping back, their hands up. Scylla clenched her jaw, glaring at the redheaded woman. She didn’t even know her name and yet she had controlled Scylla’s life for so long. 

“Do I need to repeat myself?” she said, moving the knife closer to Anacostia’s neck, earning her a small grunt from the Sergeant. “Move. Back.” 

Scylla scowled at her but backed away, withdrawing her hands from Raelle’s head and stepping back. Raelle made a small whimpering sound that tore at Scylla’s heart, but she kept her face steady as she stared down the redhead.

“Thank you.” she said, moving towards the table with a struggling Anacostia. “This was something I didn’t see coming.” she said, speaking to a barely conscious Raelle. “People actually came to save you. Too bad they were too late.”

Without warning, she removed the knife from anacostia’s neck and plunged it into the woman’s shoulder instead. Tally screamed and started moving forward, but was stopped in her tracks by a knife at Raelle’s neck this time. Anacostia fell to the ground with a groan and struggled to get back up. The knife was still embedded in the woman’s shoulder, and her vision was growing spottier by the second. 

Scylla was focused solely on the knife at Raelle’s neck. This one was different than the one the redhead had held previously. Looking closer at the knife, she could see that runes were etched into the metal surface and it seemed to have a green glow about it. 

Keeping the knife at Raelle’s neck, the woman casually grabbed a towel from the tray to her right and pressed it roughly against Raelle’s stomach. The cadet let out a pained cry as she wiped the leaking blood from the wounds and replaced the towel onto the tray. She then began to undo the straps that fixed Raelle to the table, finally freeing her.

Now that most of the blood was gone, Scylla could clearly see the elaborate rune decorating Raelle’s stomach. With a start, she realized that the rune was an exact copy of the rune on the knife. 

“You girls are about to see something amazing.” the redheaded woman said, smiling pleasantly. 

Scylla furrowed her brows as she began to chant in a tongue she didn’t recognize. Power seemed to radiate from her words and the knife in her hand began to glow a bright green. 

Abigail and Tally gasped as the rune on Raelle’s stomach also began to take on a green glow, matching the color of the knife. At once, the cuts on the girl’s stomach closed, becoming no more than angry red lines across Raelle’s abs. 

Raelle’s eyes shot open just as the alpha team burst through the doorway, immediately rushing over to attack the redhead and help Anacostia, who was now unconscious on the floor. 

The redhead simply smiled and brought the knife to her lips, seemingly speaking into the blade. “Kill them.” she said. 

Almost immediately, Raelle stood from the table and launched herself at the nearest witch, viciously punching her in the face before letting out a loud screech, throwing all four of the witches back against the wall. 

She grabbed a knife from the table, throwing it into the heart of one of the witches before grabbing Anacostia’s scourge and slamming it into another, knocking her into the wall with a sickening crack. 

Raelle turned to the other two, a low seed humming through her vocal chords. Suddenly electricity crackled at her fingertips and she shot a bolt into one of the witch’s hearts, knocking her to the ground, unmoving. 

“Raelle, please!” Tally cried as Raelle turned to the last witch. 

“Stop!” Abigail yelled. 

Raelle showed no reaction, letting a higher pitched seed emerge from her vocal chords. Instead of electricity, her hands were now filled with fire. With no hesitation, she launched a ball of fire at the last woman, consuming her in flames and leaving her to die. 

Raelle turned back to the redhead, face stone-cold. 

Scylla noticed with alarm that her eyes were no longer the bright blue she was familiar with. Instead, Raelle’s eyes glowed a sinister green. 

Tally and Abigail looked at their friend with a mixture of horror and fear. Scylla looked at Raelle, completely devastated at the lack of emotion or even awareness in her eyes. She was trapped in her own body, unable to control what she was doing.

“Good job, Raelle.” the redhead spoke, giving the girl a smile. “I’m impressed.” 

Raelle said, nothing, eyes staring straight ahead, unseeing. 

Scylla felt a tear stream down her cheek. “Raelle.” she called desperately, looking for a hint of the girl she had known. “Raelle, it’s me, Scylla.” There! She could have imagined it, but there was a flicker of movement in Raelle’s eyes when she said her name. A flicker of recognition. 

“Oh Scylla, dear.” the redhead spoke smugly. “You know that’s useless now.” 

Scylla ignored her. “Raelle, please.” she pleaded. “Come back to me.” 

Raelle’s eyes moved to look at her, fixing her with a cold glare. 

The redhead frowned. “Enough of this,” she said, waving her hand. “Raelle, end this. Now.” 

Raelle moved over to Scyllan, face remaining unchanged as she did so.

“Raelle, wait,” Scylla said desperately. She was interrupted as Raelle roughly grabbed her by the throat, pushing her against the stone wall. 

Tally and Abigail yelled at her to stop and rushed over to pull her off, but Raelle threw her arm back and they were both thrown back against the opposite wall. Scylla hadn’t even seen Raelle open her mouth. 

“R-Raelle,” Scylla choked out, struggling to breath. 

Raelle didn’t move. Her eyes remained that horrible green color. 

It was then that Scylla knew she was going to die. By the hands of her girlfriend. The girl she loved. 

She stared into Raelle’s eyes, seeing no hint of the girl she knew. But she was still in there, Scylla knew. She hoped Raelle would forgive herself after this. She was already hard on herself, but this? This would kill her once she was back to normal again. 

Scylla blinked, black spots dotting her vision as her airways were cut off. She smiled at Raelle. She wished she had been able to spend more time with her. 

Raising her hand to cup Raelle’s cheek, a tear made its way down her face. “You’re so beautiful.” she rasped out. 

Raelle blinked. Her grip inexplicably loosened, and Scylla gasped loudly as she was finally able to breath again. 

Looking up at Raelle, the girl’s eyes were rapidly flashing between green and blue. “Scylla?” she whispered softly, her voice slightly raspy from all her screaming.

She quickly dropped the girl and backed away, horrified at what she had done. 

“Raelle!” a harsh voice came from behind her. “What are you doing? Kill the girl now!” 

She stood immediately to follow through on her orders before she saw Scylla coughing on the ground. 

Gripping her head in anguish and falling to her knees, Raelle struggled to maintain control. 

Scylla watched in horror as Raelle screamed, grabbing the side of her head as if she was trying to keep it from falling apart. 

“Kill her!” the redhead screamed, speaking directly into the knife. “Now, Raelle!” 

Raelle stopped and stood, walking over to where Scylla sat. Scylla could see that her eyes were green again. 

Unwilling to accept that, she ran over to Raelle and cupped her cheek lovingly, touching her forehead to the blonde’s. “Raelle, please.” she pleaded, “You know me.” 

For one terrifying moment, Scylla was afraid she had failed and that Raelle would kill her anyway. But then, Raelle relaxed into her grip and grabbed the sides of Scylla’s face as if the girl would disappear if she let go. 

“Scylla, please,” she said, voice cracking. “The voice. The voice is telling me to kill you.” her words were stunted and choked, as if she was struggling to maintain her control. 

Scylla ignored the way her heart shattered at the sound of Raelle’s pain. She grabbed Raelle’s chin and forced her to look into her eyes. 

“Focus on me, Raelle.” Scylla said, voice shaky, but still strong and sure. “You need to resist, okay? Don’t listen to the voice. Do it for me, okay, Raelle?” 

Raelle blinked a few times, but she swallowed and nodded, staring at Scylla and trying desperately to ignore the voice screaming at her inside her head. She could hear the woman from before yelling at her, but it sounded muted and distant when she looked into Scylla’s eyes. She noticed the tears welling up in those beautiful eyes and frowned. “You shouldn’t be crying.” she said softly, wiping a tear from Scylla’s cheek. “Why are you crying?” 

Scylla let out a wet laugh at that, pressing her forehead against Raelle’s. “No reason.” she said. “I love you.” 

Raelle closed her eyes and sighed, finally blocking out the voice in her head entirely. “I love you too.”

The redheaded woman abruptly stopped screaming after Tally hit her with a vicious windstrike, throwing her bodily across the room. 

Abigail and Tally had evidently recovered and were tending to an unconscious Anacostia. 

“Guys, c’mon we have to get her help!” Abigail cried, throwing Anacostia’s arm over her shoulder and headed towards the stairs with Tally. 

Scylla let out a shaky sigh and she pulled Raelle into a standing position. “Are you okay?” she asked softly, cupping Raelle’s cheek tenderly.

“Yes.” Raelle said, voice cracking. 

“Good, because we have to get out of here.” Scylla said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the door. As an afterthought, she ran over to the unconscious redhead and grabbed the glowing knife from her limp hands. 

Returning to Raelle’s side, she quickly pocketed the knife as Raelle looked at it warily. “Just in case.” Scylla explained. 

They moved towards the exit and Raelle froze at the sight of the witches’ bodies spread out across the floor. 

Scylla turned to her, eyes wide in alarm, and she quickly grabbed the side of Raelle’s face, forcing her to look at her. “Just look at me, okay?” she said softly. “Look at me.” 

She kept this up until they reached the doorway and the dead bodies could no longer be seen.

The rest of their escape was a blur. They ran up the stairs and into a grassy field. Spree agents were there, but Raelle didn’t fight them, afraid she would lose control. She collapsed to the ground as soon as the fighting started, refusing to look at anything but the gravel road.

Soon enough, Scylla came back over to her and helped her into a large black van, where Tally and Abigail also piled in, along with Anacostia’s unconscious form. 

“Get Raelle to heal her!” Abigail ordered as she ran to the front seat and threw the van in drive. As she recklessly turned around, headed back to the road, Scylla looked up at her in anger. 

“Does she look like she’s in any condition to heal anyone?” she asked incredulously. 

“Absolutely not, but Anacostia is losing too much blood!” Abigail yelled, turning onto the main road and flooring the gas. 

Scylla turned back to Raelle, who was sitting on the floor of the van, staring at the wall and muttering to herself quietly as Tally looked on in concern. “Raelle?” she asked, trying to get the girl’s attention. “Do you think you could heal Anacostia? Not all the way, but enough to stop the bleeding?” 

Raelle stared at her for a second, looking a little confused, as if she was just now realizing what was happening. She looked down at Anacostia’s prone form, eyes widening. She blinked and looked up at Scylla, nodding. “Yes, of course, right.” she said, reaching out her hands to heal her. 

She began her chant, breaking the silence of the van. She focused on the way Anacostia was breathing. Her breaths were low and shallow, likely from too much blood loss. 

Raelle focused on taking a little bit of the wound, enough to form a small gash on her own shoulder and prevent Anacostia from losing any more blood. 

Once she was finished, she collapsed on the floor of the van, breathing heavily. She was struggling to maintain control and still use her powers. 

The voice. The voice was back. She could hear Scylla calling her name distantly, but she was drowned out by that echoing voice.  _ Kill her,  _ it pushed her.  _ You must kill her.  _

Raelle closed her eyes, and she could no longer hear anything but the voice. Distantly, she could feel herself standing and moving towards Scylla, intent on following through on her orders. Maybe if she listened to the voice, this splitting pain in her head would go away. She needed to kill her. Then the pain would leave, and she wouldn’t have to hear that horrible voice again. 

She could feel herself grabbing the girl once again, pushing her against the wall of the van. She could feel herself throwing the other witch back, for she was trying to keep her from finishing her mission. 

The girl was struggling, but that was okay. Raelle could handle it. It will be over soon. 

She could almost taste her victory. Soon, the voice would  _ finally _ disappear, and the pain along with it.

And then the voice was louder. It was practically screaming at her, and she was powerless to resist its thrall.  _ Sit down and don’t move _ , it told her. 

So she sat. And she didn’t move. 

The pain was unbearable. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group returns to Fort Salem and General Alder is filled in on the situation. Scylla is suspicious of her reaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> little bit of a shorter chapter, but I'm already working on writing some more. Thank you so much for all your comments, I appreciate all the feedback.

Scylla and Tally stared at Raelle’s motionless form sitting on the van floor in shock. Scylla was breathing heavily, clutching her neck once again in pain. The switch between their Raelle and this...robot... was so sudden. It had happened so fast that Scylla did the only thing she could to stop it. 

She had gotten Raelle to stop, using the knife she had swiped.

Well, she had told her to  _ sit down and don’t move _ more specifically, but it had gotten the girl to stop. 

And she had taken those orders to heart. Raelle was so motionless that it didn’t even look as though she was even breathing. Scylla was beginning to feel guilty for the way she had phrased it, but she had said it on instinct. She didn’t mean it so literally.

“Realle?” Tally asked shakily. 

Raelle showed no reaction, unmoving and unblinking. 

Her eyes were once again a bright green tinge. 

Scylla raised the knife to fix this and let Raelle move and speak and  _ be a person again _ but Abigail stopped her. 

“Don’t.” she said, still speeding down the street. Her voice sounded shaky, as though she was struggling with this situation just as much as all of them. “We don’t know how it works and we don’t know how long it will last. Right now, she’s contained.” 

Scylla looked at her like she was crazy. “Are you insane?” she asked. “We can’t just leave her like this. She looks like a fucking corpse!”

“I know, and I hate it at much as you do,” Abigail said, sighing. “But we have no way of knowing if she’s a danger to others like this. She just tried attacking you. It’s better that we just don’t mess with it for now and ask General Alder about it when we get back to Fort Salem.” 

“She’s right.” Tally said, still staring at Raelle’s motionless form with horrified eyes. 

Scylla hated it. But Abigail was right. They didn’t understand any of this magic or what was happening to Raelle. For all they knew, it was hurting Raelle every time an order was given. 

“Fine,” Scylla said, pocketing the knife once again. “But Alder better fix her.”

“She will.” Abigail said. 

It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone. 

Anacostia woke a few minutes later, groaning and grabbing her shoulder. 

She sat up and came face to face with Collar, who was sitting and staring at nothing. Creepy. 

“Collar?” she asked, waving a hand in front of the girl’s face. 

“Sergeant!” Tally cried from the corner of the van. “You’re okay!” 

“Damn right, I’m okay.” she said, sitting up and looking closer at Raelle. “What’s wrong with Collar?” 

Tally looked away, eyes turning sad all of the sudden. 

“The Spree did this to her.” Scylla answered from her seat to Anacostia’s right. Anger was clear in her voice. 

Anacostia furrowed her brows and looked at Collar again, noticing the gash on her shoulder and the large, angry cuts littering her abdomen. Most concerning of all, her eyes were a bright green, a far cry from the blue that Collar was known for. The cadet was rock-still, staring into the corner of the van, eyes glazed over and unseeing. 

“Explain.” Anacostia said, struggling to keep her composure. 

“That woman carved a rune into her stomach before we showed up.” Tally explained. “She stabbed you and you fell unconscious and then threatened to kill Raelle if we tried to help you.” 

“Then she used this knife,” Scylla held out the green, glowing knife out for Anacostia to see. “To possess Raelle or something. The cuts on her stomach closed and she woke up with green eyes. The Spree woman told her to kill the strike team that had come in to help, and she...killed all of them.” 

Anacostia’s eyes widened and she glanced back at Raelle, who was still motionless. 

“She told Raelle to kill me, and she was about to, but I managed to bring her out of it. Tally knocked out the woman and I grabbed the knife before we left. Raelle managed to heal you somewhat when we got in the van, but she lost control when she used her magic and tried to kill me again.” she held out the knife again. “So I told her to stop.” she finished, gesturing to Raelle. “She listened.” 

Anacostia sighed, processing this information. “Why haven’t you told her to do anything else? Has she been sitting here this whole time?” she asked, a bit of worry creeping into her voice. 

“We’re not sure exactly how the knife affects her.” Abigail answered from the driver's seat. “We were hesitant to do anything without knowing what it will do to her.”

“Smart.” Anacostia nodded. “We’ll see if General Adler knows how to fix this.” 

“That’s what we’re banking on.” Abigail replied. “We’re almost back to the base, around 5 minutes.”

Scylla sighed, putting her face in her hands. Anacostia gave her a questioning look. 

“I didn’t mean to.” she explained. “I just needed her to stop trying to kill me. I didn’t think I would be able to bring her out of it again. I just wish I didn’t have to do this to her.” 

Anacostia nodded, taking the seat next to her. “Listen,” she said, meeting Scylla’s gaze. “I’m not going to lie. I’m not a huge fan of you. I don’t even like you.” 

Scylla gave her a look. “This is helping, how?”

Anacostia continued as if she hadn’t said anything. “But you did the right thing. You and I both know that Collar would never forgive herself if she killed you. She would’ve wanted you to stop her by any means necessary, even… this.” she said, motioning to Raelle. “She’s not in control of her actions right now, and you need to be strong for her.” 

Scylla looked at the ground, thinking about what the woman had told her. She was right. Raelle needed her to stay strong right now, and it wasn’t the time to have a breakdown. She nodded, looking up at Anacostia and giving her a look of thanks. 

“We’re here!” Abigail said, interrupting their exchange and easing the van to a stop and moving to the back.

“Let’s get her outside.” Anacostia said, opening the back doors. “Craven, go get Alder and tell her the situation. Get her over here.” 

Tally nodded, hopping out of the van and sprinting over to Alder’s office. 

Abigail went to grab Raelle and help her up, only for Raelle to slap her hand away and groan in pain. Anacostia waved Abigail away and went to grab Collar herself, shaking the girl’s shoulder slightly before she could stop her. 

Raelle tensed and let out a pained grimace. “Don’t move… don’t move....don’t move,” she muttered quietly under her breath, her eyes momentarily flashing a brighter green. 

Scylla’s eyes widened and her expression became pained as she realized what was happening. “When I told her to stop, I said ‘sit down and don’t move,” she explained to Anacostia, who was giving her a questioning look. “I think it hurts her when she doesn’t follow the orders she’s given.” 

Scylla’s stomach churned at the implications of this. That means that when she hadn’t killed Scylla before, she was probably in incredible pain from defying her orders.

“Okay we’ll leave her be, then.” Anacostia said. “Hand me the knife.” 

Scylla gave her the knife and Anacostia studied the blade, noticing that the rune on Raelle’s stomach and the rune on the blade were one in the same. 

“The knife seems to control her because of the runes.” she said thoughtfully. “I wonder what would happen if we simply destroyed the knife.” 

Scylla’s stomach dropped at the thought. “What if it kills her?” she asked. “We can’t afford to take that risk.” 

“I know, Ramshorn.” she said, holding out a surrendering hand. “I’m just thinking about possible options.” 

Scylla swallowed her apprehension, nodding. She needed to calm down. There was a way that Raelle could get out of this without getting hurt. There had to be. 

“Anacostia! Bellweather!” a voice came from behind them They turned to see General Alder approaching, her biddies close behind, as usual. “And Scylla Ramshorn.” she said, looking at Scylla as if she had just noticed her presence. “You’re out of your cell.” she said, glancing over at Anacostia for an explanation. 

“We needed her help in locating Private Collar.” Anacostia said, face unchanged. 

There was a moment of silence, and Scylla struggled to not wilt under Alder’s intense gaze. “Very well,” she finally said, addressing Anacostia once more. “How is Private Collar? You got her out alive and well, I expect?” 

Anacostia glanced back towards the van, where Raelle still remained, unmoving. “Not exactly, General.” 

Alder furrowed her brows at that, glancing back towards the van. Catching a glimpse of Raelle. “Collar!” she called. Raelle didn’t move an inch. 

“The Spree did  _ something  _ to her.” Anacostia explained as Alder pushed past her and approached the open doors of the van, where Raelle sat, facing the side of the vehicle and staring at nothing. 

Anacostia began to recount the entire mission as Alder studied Collar with increased interest. 

“Don’t!” Scylla interrupted as Alder reached out to grab Raelle’s shoulder. “She’s under orders to not move right now, and I think it hurts her every time she disobeys.” 

Alder furrowed her brows, retracting her hand and refocusing on Anacostia as she finished explaining the events that had occurred at the warehouse. 

“Ramshorn was able to bring Collar out of it momentarily as the unit escaped, but she lost control after healing my shoulder wound.” she said, gesturing to the gash on Raelle’s shoulder. “She began to attack Ramshorn again, and Ramshorn was forced to use the knife to prevent Collar from killing her. Unfortunately, the exact words she chose were ‘sit down and don’t move,’” Anacostia finished, throwing a glare at Scylla, who gazed downward, guilt clear in her expression. 

Abigail frowned, noticing the coldness with which Alder studied Raelle.

“And she hasn’t moved since?” Alder asked, examining Raelle and seemingly fascinated by her condition. 

“No, ma’am.” Anacostia answered, quirking her head at Alder’s strange actions. “Do you have any ideas on how to proceed, General?” 

The General gave Raelle a final glance before standing up and facing Anacostia once again. “Have her taken to my office.” she said. “I’ll see what I can do from there.” 

Scylla narrowed her eyes. “She can’t move, General.” she repeated. 

Anacostia frowned as well. “General, are you sure it’s wise to relocate her while she’s--” 

“Did I stutter, Sergeant?” Alder said, giving Anacostia a warning look. “Have her brought to my office. Use the knife if you have to.” 

With that, she turned away from the three, walking back towards the building, her biddies following behind her. 

Scylla stared after her in shock as Anacostia released a strained sigh.

“You know what she’s doing is wrong, Sergeant.” Scylla insisted. “We don’t know what that knife does to her exactly, and she can’t control any of her actions right now!” 

“Scylla’s right!” Abigail said, stepping protectively in front of Raelle. “Alder didn’t even say what she planned on doing to help Raelle!” 

Anacostia turned to face them. Outwardly, she seemed unbothered, but Scylla could see that her eyes were filled with uncertainty and worry for Raelle. 

“Where did Alder go?” asked Tally, jogging up to them from the building. “I was trying to find a fixer to help her after I told Alder, but there were none in the infirmary.” 

No one immediately answered her, Scylla and Abigail still staring at Anacostia expectantly. 

Anacostia finally broke the silence. “General Alder came over and looked at Collar a few minutes ago.” she said, turning away from the other two to face Tally. “She told us to bring Collar up to her office.” 

“Okay,” Tally said unsurely, catching the tension between everyone. “What’s going on?” she finally asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. 

“When we move Raelle, it causes her pain, since she’s technically disobeying orders.” Abigail explained, still eyeing Anacostia warily. 

Tally eyes widened in realization. 

“Regardless, we need to deliver Collar to Alder’s office.” Anacostia said, taking the knife from her pocket. 

“No!” Scylla said, stepping beside Abigail to stand in front of Raelle. 

“We can’t use that knife anymore!” Abigail said strongly. “We can’t make her a  _ slave, _ Sergeant. Raelle would rather die!” 

Tally nodded in agreement, eyeing the knife in Anacostia’s hand. 

“Girls, listen,” Anacostia said diplomatically. “I know that this isn’t the best situation, but the fact is that we have no idea how to fix Raelle. Alder is the only person who has any knowledge of the methods the Spree use. I don’t want to hurt Collar anymore than you do, but we have to do  _ something,  _ girls. This is our only option.” 

Abigail sighed, glancing back at Raelle. It was horrible to see her like this. “Fine, but we have to stay and make sure the Alder actually does something to fix her.” 

Scylla looked over at her in outrage. “No!” she said, stepping closer to Raelle as Abigail moved away from the doors. 

“Scylla,” Tally said softly, walking towards her. 

“No! I won’t do this to her!” she cried. 

Anacostia raised the knife to her lips before Scylla could stop her. “Step out of the van.” she spoke, closing her eyes in shame as she did. 

Immediately, Raelle stood, exiting the van and walking past Scylla without sparing the girl a glance. 

Tally walked towards Scylla, grabbing the girl’s shoulder reassuringly as Scylla watched Raelle in horror. 

Raelle came to a stop in front of Anacostia, and the Sergeant struggled to remain impassive at the sight of Raelle’s emotionless face.

There was a tense moment of silence.

“Raelle,” Scylla whispered, her voice cracking as she watched Anacostia move to speak into the blade once more. 

“Walk with me to General Alder’s office.” she said, voice not as confident after witnessing Raelle’s situation firsthand. 

Ignoring the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she began to walk in the direction of Alder’s office, trying not to focus on Raelle’s footsteps as she walked beside her. They were perfectly in sync with her own. Like that of a robot. 

Scylla, Abigail, and Tally all followed hesitantly, apprehension clear on their face. 

The walk was short and quiet, tension clear in the air. Scylla could only look on in horror as Raelle matched her steps perfectly with Anacostia’s, literally walking  _ with  _ the woman. She wondered if Raelle was still in there. Was she aware of her surroundings? Was she watching helplessly as she became a slave to another’s orders? Scylla shivered at the thought. She could only hope that Raelle wasn’t conscious of her actions. At least that would be some mercy. 

Scylla jolted as the group came to a sudden stop in front of Alder’s office. 

Anacostia hesitated for only a moment before grabbing the handle and walking into the office. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unit + Anacostia and Scylla have a conversation with Alder
> 
> Alder is even shadier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all I can't handle it, I'm so excited for episode seven!!
> 
> Comment if you enjoy, It's been really nice to read all your comments

Anacostia stopped in front of Alder’s desk, Raelle coming to rest beside her. If you could call it a rest. The girl’s entire body was tense and Scylla suppressed a shudder at Raelle’s complete lack of movement or liveliness. 

The other three witches piled into the office behind Anacostia and Raelle, and they watched with bated breath as Alder finished writing her report. There was a moment of tense silence as Alder paid them no attention and continued to write, not even sparing the women a glance. 

Finally, Anacostia broke the silence, clearing her throat to get Alder’s attention. 

Alder ignored them as she finished whatever sentence she was writing. She looked up at the group, eyes passing over everyone as she did, but Scylla noticed them lingering on Raelle a little longer. 

Scylla narrowed her eyes, suspicious. She had never trusted Alder to begin with, much less with the girl she loved. 

“General, what are your plans to help release Raelle from this... _ curse.”  _ Anacostia asked. 

Alder said nothing, stepping around her desk and coming face to face with Raelle. Once again, fascination was written across her face as she stared into the girl’s eyes. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Sergeant,” she asked, still focused on the girl in front of her. “But weren’t Collar’s eyes blue before?” 

Anacostia swallowed. “Yes, ma’am.” she answered. “The knife seemed to have affected the color of her eyes. Turned them green.” 

“Interesting.” Alder drawled, suddenly reaching up and grabbing Raelle’s chin. She moved it side to side, examining the girl closely, as if she was appraising her. Raelle let her, staring into space and remaining motionless.

“How do we fix her?” Scylla asked, struggling to keep the anger from her voice. Alder was handling Raelle as you would an object, not a person. 

Alder held up her hand, motioning for Scylla to remain quiet as she began to examine the rune carved into Raelle’s abdomen. Her shirt was still cut open at the front, revealing the red lines that were spread all across her torso. Scylla stepped forward to stop the woman as she ran a long finger over one of the cuts, studying the rune intensely. Abigail quickly stopped her, grabbing her bicep roughly and shaking her head. Scylla looked over at her, noticing the anger also written across Abigail’s face at Alder’s behavior. 

“I’m not sure what the exact purpose of the rune is, but it’s clearly connected to the knife somehow.” Alder said, standing from the crouch she was in and once again looking at Raelle’s bright green eyes. “This sort of magic existed before my time, and it should’ve disappeared a long time ago. The Spree clearly has access to ancient witchcraft texts, that’s the only explanation.” 

Tally stepped forward suddenly. “Do you know how to reverse the effect?” she said, struggling to keep the emotion from her voice. 

“I have a few theories,” Alder said, finally looking away from Raelle and addressing Tally. 

Turning to Anacostia, she held out her hand. “The knife please, Sergeant.” 

Abigail spoke suddenly, unable to keep the worry from her face. “General, I don’t think we should use the knife anymore than necessary--”

Alder snapped her eyes towards Abigail, silencing the girl with a threatening look. “Sergeant,” she spoke impatiently. “The knife, now.” 

Anacostia sighed, reaching into her pocket and handing Alder the knife. Alder clutched the handle and gazed at the glowing blade in fascination, eyes gleaming. “Anacostia,” she said, eyes still locked on the dagger, studying the engraved runes. “You said Collar took out four of your best soldiers in less than a minute?” 

Anacostia looked at the woman warily, not liking where this conversation was heading. “Yes, ma’am, but what does that have to do with fixing--”

Adler looked up at the woman suddenly. “Sergeant, if you could leave me to consider possible options alone?” she phrased it as a question, but there was a note of warning coating her voice.

“General, with all due respect, are you sure that this is the best course of action?” Anacostia asked, glancing back at the increasingly agitated girls looking at Alder in disbelief. 

The biddies began to click their tongue at Anacostia, and Alder looked up at her, eyes sharp. “Do I need to ask twice?” she said, narrowing her eyes. 

Scylla stepped forward, eyes wide with outrage at the woman’s actions. “Raelle is a soldier in your army and you’re just going to leave her as a slave? A walking corpse?” she yelled at the woman, unable to control herself. “You know a way to fix her, I know you do! You just want to use her as your own personal weapon! You're no better than the Spree.” 

Abigail and Tally both stepped up beside her, nodding their heads in agreement and fixing Alder with a hateful glare. 

Alder simply gave them an amused smile. “Girls,” she said, holding up her hands in surrender. “I only have Private Collar’s best interests in mind.” 

The smile slowly dropped from her face as she walked closer to the girls, coming face to face with Scylla, who scowled at the woman. “Now, do you want to rethink what you just said to me? Because I’m pretty sure I remember you girls being perfectly respectful and polite, and I believe you agreed that it was better to leave Private Collar with me so that I can  _ help  _ her. Correct?” she said, smile gone, replaced with a threatening glare. 

Scylla went to scream in the woman’s face, but was quickly stopped when Abigail roughly grabbed her bicep and abruptly dragged her and Tally from the room, breathing heavily as if struggling to control her own anger. 

“Why would you let that woman-” Scylla began angrily. 

“Don’t be stupid,” Abigail snapped at her as they stopped outside in the hallway. “You’re technically still a prisoner, you literally still have that silencer around your neck.” she said, gesturing towards the collar wrapped around Scylla’s neck. “Tally and I are two lowly cadets still in basic training. Even if we stayed, we stood no chance against Alder and possibly Anacostia.” 

As if on cue, Anacostia stormed out of the office, anger clearly written across her face. 

As she passed the girls, she stopped to address them, her voice low and angry. “Meet me in the rough room.” she said, quickly continuing in that direction and leaving Scylla, Abigail, and Tally to watch her retreating form in shock. 

“Okay,” Tally said, confusion clear on her face. “Either Anacostia is very angry at all of us and is about to go beat us up, or she’s on our side and angry at Alder.” 

Abigail nodded. “Hard to say.” she said, beginning to walk after the woman, motioning for the other two to follow. “Only one way to find out, though.” 

* * *

  
  
Alder circled the stationary Raelle, narrowing her eyes at the girl’s lack of expression. 

“Collar?” she asked, quirking her head. “Can you hear me at all?” 

No response. 

Alder raised the dagger to her lips, a smile curling around them as she did. “Kneel.” she spoke into the blade. 

Collar didn’t hesitate, dropping to one knee and tilting her head downward in robotic respect. 

Alder smiled slightly at the girl. Collar had always struggled with orders, and now she was the picture-perfect soldier. It was ironic, really. 

“Stand.” Alder ordered again, leaning over to examine the cuts marring the girl’s stomach as she rose from her kneeled position. 

She ran her hands down the rune, lightly brushing her finger over Collar’s toned abdomen.

Alder had, of course, lied to the soldiers before. She was familiar with the rune and the way it worked. It had existed for centuries, a way to control witches that resisted authority or to utilize particularly powerful witches without any of the problems that came with free will. 

The military had even used it a couple times. Very rarely, of course, they had to maintain a reputation of morality, and it was always kept under tight wraps. Very few individuals were aware of the rune’s existence. 

Alder had never had a particular issue with the method. It was a way to control witches without any resistance. And it was a way to control powerful individuals. Such as Collar. 

She could probably get away with it without much protest. As long as she kept up the pretense that she didn’t know how to fix Raelle, she could still use the knife under the guise of putting the girl to use. 

Ramshorn may be a problem. And maybe the girl’s unit. But Ramshorn could be locked up relatively easily. The Bellweather unit, though, may be harder to deal with. 

As long as she could convince that she was trying to fix the girl, Craven and Bellweather would be satisfied. Collar could even remain in the unit to appease them, as long as Alder still had the knife. 

Smiling at the thought, Alder stood and brought her face up close to Raelle’s, staring into her green eyes. 

“I know exactly what’s happening to you, Collar.” She said, fixing Raelle with a hard stare. “I know the voice that’s screaming in your head. I know the pain you feel everytime it speaks and the agony of disobeying an order. And I know you can hear me. Somewhere in there, the real Raelle Collar is struggling against the magic that holds her body prisoner.” 

Raelle didn’t react. 

“Maybe you think there’s a way out.” Alder continued, turning from the girl and twirling the knife in her fingers. “And I’m here to tell you that there is. But you and I are going to get to know each other a bit better before I release you. If I release you. We’ll wait and see how beneficial this arrangement can be.” 

Now facing Raelle on the other side of her desk, she smiled at the girl. A flicker of rage seemed to burn in the girl’s eyes before it passed as quickly as it came, replaced by the same unseeing gaze. Alder smirked. 

“Go train.” she waved a hand dismissively as she spoke into the blade. “I’ll fetch you later.” 

_ Go train, go train, go train,  _ the voice echoed loudly in Raelle’s head as she left the room, rushing to the rough room to follow her orders. The voice got louder and louder the longer she wasn’t training, until it was practically screaming at her. Raelle began to walk faster. 

The pain was unbearable. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unit + Scylla meet with Anacostia in the rough room and Raelle trains. 
> 
> Raelle and Scylla bond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a long one

Anacostia was waiting for them when they arrived. She sat on the bleachers near the corner of the room, hands clasped in her lap. 

“Sergeant, what’s going on?” Abigail said, stepping onto the bleachers, closely followed by Scylla and Tally. “What did Alder say?” 

“Girls,” Anacostia said, looking up. “I’m worried about Raelle.” 

“We are too, Sergeant,” Tally said, the girls sitting down in front of the woman. “How do we free her? We just handed her over to the General.”

Anacostia sighed, rubbing her eyes as if she was exhausted by the whole situation. “I always knew that Sarah was...aggressive... but I never thought she would be this power hungry.” She looked up at the girls, conflict clear in her eyes. “To enslave another witch? That’s immoral. It’s wrong.”

“We agree, Sergeant.” Abigail said, leaning forward. “That’s why we need to find a way to free Raelle and expose Alder for doing this to a member of her own army.”

Anacostia sighed, straightening and unclasping her hands. Her eyes were no longer conflicted, instead filled with certainty and determination. “I think we need to get our hands on that knife.” she said. 

Scylla raised an eyebrow. “The knife that the most protected person on the base has hanging off her belt? That knife?” she asked. 

“Exactly, Ramshorn.” Anacostia confirmed, ignoring Scylla’s sarcasm. “It would be ideal if we could recreate the circumstances of the first time we got the knife.” 

“What, you mean we should tackle Alder and steal the knife?” Abigail said unsurely. “I don’t think that will work very well.” 

Tally shook her head, suddenly understanding what Anacostia was implying. “No, she means that Scylla has to distract Raelle long enough to get her out of that zombie-state.” 

Anacostia ignored Scylla’s wide eyes and disbelieving face, nodding at Tally. “Yes, Craven,” she spoke, turning to face all the girls. “If Raelle is released from her power, that will distract Alder long enough for one of us to launch an effective attack and retrieve the knife.” 

Abigail and Tally nodded excitedly.

“Woah, woah, woah.” Scylla said, putting her hands up as if telling them to slow down. “I don’t even know if I can do that again. It looks like she’s more affected by the knife this time around. She didn’t even move when I called her name earlier.” she explained as Abigail and Tally deflated slightly. “Last time, she was only under the influence of the rune for a couple minutes. Raelle was probably a bit more conscious then than she is right now. She’s been under the rune’s control for hours now.” 

Anacostia sighed, nodding. “You bring up a good point, Ramshorn.” she said. “We also have to worry about properly exposing Alder. If we do all this in private and people don’t know what happened, Alder can easily convince people that we’re in the wrong and we attacked for no reason.” 

Abigail and Tally nodded, frowning. “Maybe if we’re able to show proof of the rune and it’s control over Raelle? If we show people that Alder is willingly using the knife on one of her soldiers, that would surely turn the public against her.” Tally suggested.

“One thing’s for sure.” Scylla said. “Alder definitely knows more about that rune and its history than she’s letting on. Maybe if one of us can sneak into her office and search her bookshelf or her desk, we can find something useful for dealing with it or breaking its influence without stealing the knife.” 

“We have a lot to consider.” Anacostia said, nodding thoughtfully at both girls’ suggestions. “Listen, it won’t always be safe to meet here and discuss. Meet me at the salva training area tonight at midnight.” she told them, lowering her voice. “It will be safer there, and we can fully discuss and decide on a plan.” 

All the girls nodded, standing up to leave, only to be interrupted by the sound of furious footsteps. 

Scylla turned, heart dropping at the thought of being caught, only to find Raelle herself stomping into the room and grabbing Porter’s scourge from her locker. 

She paid them no mind as she began to furiously train with her scourge, destroying the training mannequins left and right, grunting quietly with the effort. 

“Raelle?” Abigail called. 

No response. 

“Raelle, we need to talk to you,” she tried again, stepping off the bleachers and hesitantly approaching Raelle, who was still swinging the scourge in a dangerous spiral. 

Raelle’s grunts became louder as she swung the scourge, and Scylla could see the anger in her strikes. 

Abigail, who had walked close enough to see Raelle’s angry expression but not close enough to be bit by the scourge, hesitated at the sound of Raelle’s furious murmuring. 

“Go train, go train, go train.” she muttered again and again between strikes against the training mannequins. 

“Is that what she told you to do?” Abigail asked hesitantly. “Go train?” 

She was basically talking to herself, Raelle paying her no mind as she kept training, teeth bared as she swung her scourge. 

Abigail took in a breath, as if preparing herself, before she rushed towards Raelle, somehow avoiding the wild swings of the whip to grab Raelle’s shoulder desperately. 

“Raelle, please-” 

Raelle turned to her and pushed her back, letting out a wild scream and throwing her back with a strong windstrike. 

“Abi!” Tally cried from the bleachers, moving to run towards her sister. Anacostia held her back, not wanting her to get hurt. Scylla simply watched, a pained expression on her face as she watched her girlfriend go right back to training, swinging her scourge with intense precision and robotic movements.

From the floor of the training room, Abigail groaned, trying to regain her bearings. Scylla watched in alarm as Abigail stood, anger clear on her face. 

“Alright, shitbird.” she said, cracking her neck and grabbing her own scourge. “You wanna train? Let’s train.” 

Abigail ran at Raelle, swinging her scourge in a dangerous arc, the rope wrapping itself around Raelle’s ankle. 

Raelle barely had time to react before she was pulled to the floor, grunting as she landed hard. She immediately shot up, swinging her scourge upward as she did, striking Abigail with a rough blow to the side. 

Abigail grunted as she was pushed to the side, barely having enough time to react before Raelle went for another blow, swinging her scourge above her head and whipping it towards Abigail’s chest. 

Abigail ducked, dodging the girl’s whip. She twirled her own scourge, spinning it around herself in a complicated spiral before suddenly striking out at Raelle’s side. 

Impossibly fast, Raelle leaped over Abigail’s scourge, rolling to the side and coming up in a crouch before she threw her scourge out, landing a hard blow against Abigail’s chest before she could dodge. 

Abigail landed against the ground hard, barely having time to recover before Raelle’s scourge came down above Abigail’s head, moving downwards towards her,  _ fast.  _

Abigail desperately rolled to the side, barely missing the edge of the whip. She looked up at Raelle in shock, noticing the girl winding back her scourge for another strike, her face cold and emotionless. 

Abigail’s eyes widened as the scourge wrapped around her ankle before she could dodge. Raelle aggressively pulled against the rope, dragging Abigail towards her and landing a brutal kick to the Bellweather’s stomach. 

Abigail gasped, clutching her stomach in pain. As she tried to recover, Raelle grabbed her arm and dragged the girl towards her once again. She quickly placed her hands on either one of Abigail’s shoulders, throwing herself to the ground and using her new momentum to throw Abigail over her and back onto the mat. 

Abigail groaned as she landed hard against the mat.

Raelle stood from the ground, approaching Abigail’s prone form on the ground. 

“Raelle!” Tally screamed, struggling against Anacostia’s grip on her shoulders. “Stop it!” 

Raelle didn’t react, pulling her foot back and launching it into Abigail’s face, earning a small scream of pain from the other girl. 

Raelle crouched down, grabbing Abigail and hauling her upwards, slamming her against the wall violently. She screamed in anger, gripping her unit partner’s throat in a tight grip, cutting off her air. 

“Stop, you’ll kill her!” Tally cried again, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “Raelle!” 

Anacostia finally let her go, her and Tally both running over to stop Raelle from killing Abigail. 

Scylla watched from the bleachers, struggling to think of a way to stop Raelle. Tally and Anacostia couldn’t stop her, Raelle wasn’t holding back at all, and they were still trying to bring out the old Raelle, so they were hesitant to really hurt her. 

Raelle herself had no such reservations, unable to control her actions. As far as she could tell, these were people who were trying to keep her from following orders. She would neutralize them and continue carrying out her orders, training until Alder called for her once again. 

Scylla watched in horror as Tally and Anacostia struggled to pry Raelle’s hands from Abigail’s throat, only to be thrown back with a strong windstrike. 

Abigail herself was grasping desperately at Raelle’s hands, struggling to get out of the girl’s grip. “Raelle…” she choked out, looking in horror as Raelle stared emotionlessly at her, green eyes dull and glazed over. Although, looking closer, Abigail could see a hint of fear and anger also present in the girl’s eyes, as if the real Raelle was deep in the back of this monster, watching her actions with a mix of dread and rage.

Scylla stepped off the bleachers, approaching the edge of the mat, eyes wide in alarm as she watched Abigail start to slump over in Raelle’s grip. Raelle herself showed no sign of loosening her grasp on Abigail's throat. “Raelle!” Scylla screamed, voice cracking. 

Raelle didn’t move. 

Abigail had stopped struggling, her movements becoming sluggish as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. 

“Raelle!” Scylla tried again, stepping closer to the girl. 

Raelle still didn’t react. 

Scylla thought desperately, a wild thought running through her head. Quickly, she lifted her hand, palm in the air. She scrawled a messy ‘S’ shape onto her palm, looking up at Raelle desperately, hoping this would be enough to shake her out of this trance. 

For a terrifying moment, Scylla feared that she had done nothing and Abigail was doomed. 

And then, Raelle froze, releasing her hands and letting Abigail fall to the floor, the girl gasping for breath and grabbing her throat in pain. 

Raelle stood stone still, slowly lifting her hand and bringing it to rest in front of her face.

There, on her palm, was the messy shape of an ‘S’ engraved on her palm. 

Raelle fell to her knees without warning, staring at the ‘S’ with a mixture of relief and shock, as if she couldn’t believe it was real.

Tally ran past Raelle’s still form, closely followed by Anacostia, grabbing Abigail and wrapping her in a tight hug, cupping her face as the girl desperately sucked in air, coughing as she looked over at Raelle. 

Scylla slowly approached Raelle from the back, afraid of how the girl would react. 

“Raelle?” she asked quietly. 

Raelle ignored her, looking up at Abigail and Tally with grief-stricken blue eyes. “I’m so sorry.” she said, slumping over and gripping the sides of her head in pain and remorse. 

“Raelle, no!” Tally said, rushing over to her. She grabbed the sides of Raelle’s face, forcing the girl to look at her. “It’s okay. It’s okay, I swear. We know that it wasn’t you.” 

Raelle nodded, tears filling her eyes. “It hurts so bad, Tally.” she whispered, face scrunched in pain. 

“I know, I know, Raelle.” Tally said, wrapping the girl in a tight hug. “Just hold on for a little longer, okay?” 

Scylla approached the two, crouching next to Tally and looking into Raelle’s blue eyes. She smiled at the girl, cupping her cheek as Raelle struggled to resist the voice. “Stay with me?” Scylla whispered, meeting Raelle’s gaze with a meaningful look. 

Raelle swallowed, not looking away from her girlfriend. 

“I need you to focus on me, okay?” Scylla told her, nodding reassuringly. Raelle took a small breath, returning Scylla’s nod. 

“Now, I want you to touch that ‘S’ on your palm.” Scylla said, motioning towards Raelle’s palm. “Can you do that for me?” 

Raelle nodded again, her breathing slowing down a little bit as she began to collect herself. She reached out and touched the ‘S’ engraved on her skin, letting out a small breath as she did so. 

“Can you feel what I’m feeling, Raelle?” Scylla asked. 

Raelle nodded, blinking a few times before looking back up at Scylla. 

“Focus on that, okay?” Scylla told her. “Focus on me.” 

Raelle sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing into Scylla’s arms. 

“You with me?” Scylla asked, clutching the girl as if she could disappear at any moment. 

“I’m with you, Scylla.” Raelle rasped, hugging her tightly. 

“Good.” Scylla replied, allowing a small tear to escape and roll down her cheek. She stifled a sob, trying to remain collected for Raelle’s sake. 

“Collar,” Anacostia said from a few feet away. “Are you in control?” 

Raelle took a second to respond, still a bit overwhelmed. She separated from Scylla, holding her hand as a lifeline as she addressed Anacostia. “I think so, Sergeant.” she replied shakily. 

“Good, because we need to discuss how we’re going to get rid of this rune.” Anacostia said, helping Abigail off the floor and walking towards the group. 

Raelle gave Abigail a pained look, gazing at her nose, which was still bleeding from Raelle’s kick. “Abigail, I-” she began, only to be interrupted by Abigail herself.

“Don’t worry about it,” she rasped, coming to a rest next to Tally and Scylla. “My fault for provoking you when I knew you weren’t yourself.” 

Raelle didn’t look completely convinced, but she nodded.

“I don’t know how long we have before Alder calls me back.” she told them, sobering up. “I won’t be able to control my actions when she does. I may be able to resist right now, but I’m not sure how I’ll react to another direct order from the knife.” 

Abigail and Tally nodded, Scylla giving her a pained look as Raelle spoke. 

“Do you know how we break the spell?” Anacostia asked, looking at Raelle. 

“Not exactly.” Raelle spoke, concerned look crossing her face. “Our best bet is getting the knife. As far as I can tell, I think there may be two ways to break the connection.” 

Scylla narrowed her eyes. “You don’t sound very confident.” she pointed out. 

“I’m not,” Raelle sighed. “These are just theories. I’m not sure what will happen if we actually follow through.” 

“Go ahead, Collar.” Anacostia pushed. “We’ll take anything we can get right now.” 

Raelle nodded. “I think we can break the connection by either destroying the knife itself or somehow getting rid of the rune on my stomach.” she said, gesturing to the cuts marring her abdomen.

“How’re we supposed to get rid of it? It’s literally covering your entire stomach, Raelle.” Abigail pointed out. 

“I’m not sure, which is why I’m leaning towards the ‘destroying the knife’ plan, myself.” Raelle answered. 

Scylla gripped her hand tighter. “What if it hurts you? Or worse?” she asked worriedly. “We don’t know what that will do.” 

Raelle squeezed her hand back reassuringly. “I know, Scylla.” she said. “But this might be our only option.” 

Silence consumed the room before Tally broke it, a thoughtful expression on her face. “What if it isn’t?” she said, narrowing her eyes. 

“What do you mean, Craven?” Anacostia asked. “Do you have an idea?” 

“Well we know that Scylla is able to bring Raelle out of robot mode, right?” Tally said. 

Everyone nodded, Scylla giving Raelle’s hand a tight squeeze. 

“Why don’t we make it so that Raelle never has to go back into robot mode?” Tally suggested conspiratorially. 

“What do you mean, Tally?” Raelle asked, eyes narrowed in confusion. “You know I can’t resist a direct order for too long.” 

“I know,” Tally nodded. “But Scylla just brought you out of that headspace using the bond. We can use a spell and strengthen the bond even more, making sure there’s an even stronger emotional connection between the two of you. When Alder calls you back, Scylla will be constantly communicating with you and projecting her emotions, keeping you from going into full zombie state.” 

Raelle’s eyes widened as she understood Tally’s plan. “Scylla can block out the voice…” she muttered to herself. She suddenly turned to Scylla, eyes wide in excitement. “Scylla, if you can block out the voice, it doesn’t hurt anymore. I can’t even hear the voice right now!” 

Scylla furrowed her brows. “Are you sure about this?” she asked. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to-” 

“I trust you.” Raelle interrupted. “You can keep out the voice, I know you can.” 

Scylla sighed and nodded, still unsure.

“Okay, so we need to cast the spell while we still can.” Anacostia told them, standing and walking to check that the hallway was clear. “Craven, go ahead and work on a strengthening spell for that bond. Do it as fast as you can, and hopefully we’ll have time afterwards to discuss the plan in detail.”

Craven nodded, jumping into action, holding hands with Abigail so they could cast the spell together. Hovering both their hands over Raelle’s and Scylla’s clasped hands, they began to vocalize. The seed was a lower chord, strong and powerful. Abigail joined in, singing a slightly higher pitch to harmonize, making the spell more potent and powerful. 

Power started to radiate from the seed, causing Scylla to tense in alarm and confusion. She relaxed a bit when Raelle squeezed her hand and caught her eyes, giving her a reassuring smile. They could both feel their bond becoming more potent, stronger. Instead of just strong emotions, Scylla could feel the nuanced feelings Raelle was projecting now. Raelle was aware of Scylla’s feeling of uncertainty and fear, and she did her best to give her a comforting look.

Before they knew it, the spell had been cast, and Tally and Abigail leaned back, breathing a little harder. 

Raelle took in a breath, trying to adjust to the sensation of feeling Scylla’s emotions on top of her own. It was weird, for sure, but it wasn’t all together unwelcome. 

Scylla blinked a few times, feeling odd. She could sense Raelle’s shock and awe as well as her own. 

They looked at each other, and suddenly the feelings began to shift as both Raelle and Scylla relaxed. The change was subtle, but noticeable, and both girls relaxed, feeding off the other’s emotions.

“You guys feel any different?” Abigail asked, noticing their strange looks. 

“Yeah,” Raelle said slowly, blinking a couple times. “It’s definitely odd.” 

Scylla nodded in agreement. “But it worked. I can feel Raelle’s emotions pretty clearly.” she added. 

Raelle nodded as well. “Same here.” 

“Okay then,” Anacostia said. “What’s our game plan now that you’re free from the knife’s influence?” 

Raelle hesitated, thinking. “I can probably fake out Alder, make her still think she’s got me.” 

Anacostia nodded. “Do you think you’ll be able to grab the dagger for us?” she asked. 

Raelle shook her head. “The rune forbids me from touching the knife. The redheaded woman told me that.” she said, head down. 

Scylla felt her distress, clear as day, and she tried to send out a feeling of calm to hopefully sooth Raelle. 

It seemed to work a little, and Raelle’s emotions seemed to even out. “I can’t get my hands on the knife,” she told them. “But maybe I can manipulate Alder? If I can get her to believe she has complete control over me, she’ll let her guard down. I can search her desk and her office for any stuff on the rune or the dagger or any other incriminating papers, and then somehow escape and get the stuff to you guys.” 

Tally nodded. “If you can find anything seriously incriminating in her office, we can expose her as the power-hungry witch she is.” she said.

Anacostia nodded her agreement. “That’s a good plan, Private.” She told her. “Your mother would be proud.” 

Raelle swallowed. Scylla could feel the mix of feelings pouring through the bond and she instantly reached out a hand to comfort her. 

Raelle looked at her and nodded, sighing deeply. 

“Private,” Anacostia addressed once again. “If you find any incriminating information, do your best to maintain your cover for as long as possible. Try and drop any important information at the bench beside my office. I’ll instill a compartment under the bench for you to leave any important documents and such.” 

Raelle nodded, beginning to stand from her position on the floor, still holding tightly to Scylla’s hand, as if it was a landline. 

“Girls,” Anacostia said, addressing the other witches. “You must do your best to maintain Raelle’s cover as well. Do your best to convince Alder that nothing is amiss. Act appropriately angry, but don’t do or say anything to the General under any circumstances. We must keep up appearances for this to work.” 

Tally and Abigail nodded, glancing at each other momentarily. Scylla hesitated. “I’m going back to my cell, right?” she asked, eyebrows raised. 

Scylla caught Raelle giving her a pained look in the corner of her eye. 

“Yes, Ramshorn.” Anacostia confirmed. “Alder will know something’s up if you don’t return to your cell. She knows you would never allow this to continue.” 

Scylla sighed and nodded, Raelle squeezing her hand a little tighter in reassurance. 

There was a moment of silence as everyone contemplated the plan. 

“Wait!” Abigail said suddenly, raising her hand as if she had just realized something and running over to her training locker. She grabbed a small case from the locker along with a jar of mysterious liquid. Opening the case, she dropped a few drops on whatever was inside, releasing a small, high-pitched seed from her lips. 

Running back over to them, she held out the case for Raelle to take. “Your eyes are blue now.” she explained. 

“Good catch, Bellweather.” Anacostia told her. 

Looking inside the case, Raelle saw a pair of bright green colored contacts. She looked up at Abigail in confusion. 

Abigail shrugged. “Charvel gave it to me for my birthday last year. Haven’t used it since, but it’s finally useful now.” 

Raelle still looked confused. “Why would I need green contacts?” she asked, looking around at everyone in confusion. 

They all gave her a confused look. Scylla caught her eye, furrowing her brows. “Your eyes turn bright green every time the knife controls you.” she explained. 

Raelle’s eyes widened. “For real?” she asked. 

Everyone nodded in affirmation. 

“That’s,” Raelle said, pausing as if she didn’t know how to continue. “I don’t like that.” she finished, frowning. 

“Believe me, neither do we.” Abigail said. 

Scylla could still feel that Raelle was conflicted by this new information, and she did her best to calm her. 

“We don’t have time to dwell on this, Private,” Anacostia told her. “Put those contacts in before Alder calls you.” 

Raelle nodded, setting aside her own issues, quickly beginning to put in the contacts. 

Just in time, the left eye contact fixed into her eye, Raelle heard the voice. 

She flinched abruptly at the sound of the grating voice, startling everyone. “She’s calling me.” Raelle explained, her voice slightly strained in pain. 

The voice, although quieter, still endlessly repeated her orders:  _ return to me, return to me, return to me,  _ it beckoned. 

Just as the voice was beginning to become unbearable, Raelle relaxed at the feeling of calm Scylla sent across the bond. Calming down, she smiled at Scylla, who smiled back with a mix of reassurance and concern. 

“I have to go, you guys, before she realizes something is up.” Raelle told them. “I’ll see you soon.” 

Everyone nodded, frowning as Raelle turned to leave. Before she could exit the door, Raelle felt a small bit of desperation and panic from Scylla. She turned to see her rushing over to Raelle. Scylla grabbed the side of her face and kissed her softly. Raelle quickly reciprocated, cupping Scylla’s chin before they separated. 

As they moved away from each other, Raelle fixed her with a meaningful look, sending love down the bond as she finally turned away. 

She allowed herself one small smile as she felt Scylla’s love and her worry for her safety. As she turned the corner, however, the smile dropped from her face and was replaced with a cold emotionless mask. 

She adopted robotic movements once more, and she allowed the voice in her head to become only slightly louder, if only to make her gaze slightly glazed over and unseeing.

This time, the pain wasn’t unbearable. This time, the pain was blocked out by the presence of the girl she loved. 

Raelle finally came face to face with General Alder’s office once more. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the handle and walked in. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alder has a meeting, and Raelle and her unit have a chance to reunite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Episode 7 is tonight!!!

Scylla was escorted back to her cell, and she struggled to control her feeling of worry and dread, afraid that she might affect Raelle. 

Anacostia walked beside her, a strong hand gripping her bicep, as if warning her to not do anything stupid. As if she was going to run. 

Scylla suppressed a laugh. Where would she go? Raelle was undercover and Scylla herself was essentially a prisoner of war. That didn’t leave her many options. 

They finally reached the entrance to Scylla’s prison, an underground tunnel hidden in the depths of the necro base. The winding hallways and seemingly endless amount of doors throughout the bunker made the prison almost impossible to find, but Anacostia navigated it without issue, confident in every twist and turn she made through the base. 

Faced once again with the cramped cell she had spent many days in, Scylla struggled to withhold a wince as Anacostia threw open the cell door, pushing her into the prison once again. 

For a second, Scylla panicked, thinking all of this was somehow an elaborate scheme to torture her. Anacostia fixed her with a hard look as she began to see the panic passing across Scylla’s face. 

“Ramshorn, I need you to calm down.” She told her. “Raelle can feel everything you’re feeling and she doesn’t need to be worried about you while she’s undercover.” 

Scylla sighed and nodded, trying her best to calm down. It was a lot easy when a sudden wave of reassurance washed over her, presumably from Raelle. She allowed herself a small smile before retreating towards the back of the cell, where she had sat only a few hours ago. It had felt like lifetimes had passed since then. 

Anacostia closed the door of the cell, and without a word, she reached towards the machine hooked up on the top of the bars, switching off the constant screeching that stopped Scylla from using any magic. 

Scylla gave her a confused look. 

“You still have the silencer around your neck, Ramshorn,” she said, turning away and walking towards the exit. “Don’t think I’m letting you off that easy.” 

Just as she began to open the door to leave, she turned back towards Scylla, who was watching her with slight confusion. “Make sure Raelle stays with us, okay?” she told her, fixing her with one more meaningful look and finally exiting the prison

With that, Scylla was left in the cell, locked in with only her thoughts. She quirked her head at Anacostia’s actions. Surely she realized that Scylla could probably get the silencer off of her neck with a little fiddling. And she had left her without a guard. 

Scylla smiled a little. Anacostia was wrong, she was letting her off easy. Clearly their time together had resulted in a bit more mutual respect between the two. 

Sighing, she attempted to clear her mind, leaning back against the steel wall she was now very familiar with. Reaching across the bond, she sought out Raelle’s feelings, matching them with her own so that they could be in sync. 

Opening her eyes, Scylla smiled in success, feeling Raelle’s emotions as clear as if they were her own. 

If Raelle started to lose control, Scylla would easily be able to remind her that she was with her, that their emotions were linked, and that she was still in control of her own thoughts and feelings. 

Feeling confident, Scylla leaned back and settled in, attuning herself with Raelle’s thoughts and feelings and preparing to help her in any way she could.

* * *

Raelle did her best to stand stone still, perched at the right side of Alder’s desk as she met with a member of a rogue Tarim cell of witches. 

The man that spoke with her was earnest, fixing Alder with a pleading gaze. “Please, General, I am simply asking for your help.” he told her. “My people are rapidly going missing, taken in raids that sweep through our territory every few weeks. We have no way to protect ourselves or find our missing people.” 

Alder sighed at this. “Adil, I would love to reach out and help your people, but you know that without any agreement from the people at the Hague, there’s nothing I can do.” She told him, voice unwavering. “Any interference with your cell would be an act of war against both Russia and China.” 

Adil stood, apparently angry at Alder’s blunt response. “General Alder, my people are dying!” he yelled, emotion clear in his voice. “We have no way to move or relocate under the threat of bandits outside our territory! We live in fear every day! My own sister is dying from an unknown illness that the bandits brought with them.” 

Raelle struggled to keep her face impassive as the man finally sat, overcome with emotions. His head was in his hands, and he took a deep breath to recollect himself before looking up at Alder once again, whose face remained unchanged. “Please, General.” he begged. “A few soldiers is all I’m asking for. A token force to give us a bit of protection. My people were not meant to fight. Our songs are ritualistic, and we live in a peaceful society.” 

General Alder made a show of sighing loudly and walking around her desk, grabbing Adil’s shoulder in a show of comfort. “I feel for your situation, I do.” She insisted. “But, as I said before, there’s nothing I can do to help. I can’t risk war between two global powerhouses. It would mean the death of thousands of witches.” 

Adil said nothing, brushing the woman’s hand off his shoulder and fixing her with a pained glare. “What you’re doing is wrong, General.” he told her angrily. “You treat your own witches as if they are expendable. As if they’re nothing.” 

Alder gave him a warning look as he began to stand, anger clear on his face. “You know you can save my people, and yet you choose to do nothing as witches die.” 

Alder sighed again. “Adil, I’m sorry-” 

“No, you’re not, General, and don’t do me the dishonor of pretending you are.” Adil spat. “You think you’re above everyone else, don’t you? No one else matters to you.” 

The General said nothing. 

Adil glared at her in rage and hate, flinging his arm around and gesturing towards Raelle. “You think I don’t recognize what you’ve done to this poor girl?” he asked. “The green eyes? The dead stare? I bet if I go pull up her shirt, there’s a giant rune carved  _ into her stomach. _ ” 

Raelle struggled to not react. It was surprising that someone knew what was going on. Maybe Adil knew how to end this once and for all. Raelle would have to inform Anacostia and her unit on this development. 

Raelle’s thoughts were interrupted as she felt Alder’s gaze on her. Her stomach dropped as she struggled not to react under the woman’s intense gaze. Almost immediately, though, calm washed over her as Scylla noticed her nerves. 

Alder finally looked away from her. “I don’t know what you’re implying, Adil, but I would tread  _ very carefully _ if I were you.” she warned, threat clear in her voice. 

Adil shook his head in disbelief. He glanced back at Raelle once again, eyes softening with sympathy at her dead gaze. “Sarah, I hope one day you realize just how wrong you are.” he said, releasing a tired sigh. “You need to release this girl. She doesn’t deserve this prison, and you know it.” 

With that, Adil sang a soft, low seed. For a moment, Adil and Alder simply looked at each other, locked in a contest of wills. Abruptly, Adil’s image began to fizzle out, before he disappeared from view entirely. 

Alder was left looking at the empty spot where he had stood. She stared for a moment before sighing, returning to her place behind her desk. “Apparently, that rune isn’t a secret that’s as well kept as I thought. Some nobody from a Tarim cell thousands of miles away was aware of its existence.”

Silence consumed the room as Alder contemplated her conversation with the man. “Perhaps it was rash of me to turn him away so fast.” she muttered quietly. “I should have at least considered sending some soldiers, if just to appease the man.” 

Raelle struggled to resist scowling, anger burning in the depths of her stomach. Scylla once again caught this development quickly, sending her a reassuring feeling and calming Raelle before she could do anything rash. 

Alder sighed, glancing over at a motionless Raelle. “I’m going to allow you to spend the night in your old quarters, Collar, before I find a proper place for you.” 

She brought out the knife and set it out on the desk, glowing green with power. “Go back to your quarters and rest. I will call you back in the morning. Tell your unit nothing of our conversations, and if they ask, tell them that I am working on a solution to release you from this binding.” 

Raelle immediately moved to leave the office, not looking back at the General as she did. As usual, the voice in her head started up, filling her head with Alder’s order and a splitting headache. 

Although this time, the voice was muted and quiet, and her headache faded as quickly as it arrived. Instead, Raelle was overwhelmed with the feeling of  _ Scylla.  _ Her feeling and the essence of her was filling her head, and it easily blocked out the horrible voice. 

Feeling confident in her position, Raelle allowed herself a small smirk as she left the office, her back to Alder. 

Soon enough, they would take her down.

* * *

Needless to say, Abigail and Tally were sufficiently surprised to see Raelle enter their room casually after literally becoming a victim of mind control.

Both of them could only stare as Raelle stepped into the room, not looking at them as she closed the door. She had finally changed out of that worn out, ripped shirt into a new long sleeve that was a little too small, obviously borrowed from someone else. Her pants were the same, however, and Tally struggled to withhold a wince, seeing the dried blood all over them. Raelle’s dried blood. 

Raelle was still facing the door, her forehead rested against the wall, as if she was taking a moment to rest. 

“Raelle?” Abigail finally asked unsurely. “You still with us?” 

Raelle turned abruptly and Tally felt her heart stop at the sight of the girl’s bright green eyes, only to remember that they were only contacts. 

“Yeah, sorry, I’m fine.” Raelle said, blinking. “Our plan is working pretty well, Alder thinks I’m her puppet.” 

Abigail and Tally breathed a sigh of relief at that. 

Raelle’s eyes widened. “Oh my goddess, I’m sorry to scare you guys like that,” she said, holding her hands up. “I wasn’t even thinking.” 

Tally and Abigail both nodded, assuring her that it was fine. “You never think, shitbird.” Abigail commented fondly, smiling at Raelle. 

Raelle smiled back, shaking her head at the girl’s antics. 

“Raelle! Get over here!” Tally cried, waving her over to the bed Abigail and Tally were both seated on. Noticing it was her own bed, Raelle smiled as she walked over, laughing as Tally wrapped her in a tight hug. Turning to Abigail, Raelle shook her head in disbelief. The Bellweather was actually holding out her hand.  _ To give her a handshake. _

Raelle couldn’t control her laughter as she completely ignored the hand, leaning towards Abigail and hugging her tightly. 

“It’s so nice to see you guys.” Raelle said, leaning back to smile at both of them. 

They smiled back and Raelle almost forgot about Alder, and the rune, and the voice. But then she peered at Abigail’s face a little closer, noticing the intense bruising all over her nose and the black and purple coloring that was creeping out from her collar where Raelle had choked her. 

Abigail noticed the way Raelle’s smile dropped, reaching out a hand to grip the girl’s uninjured shoulder comfortingly. “It’s okay, Raelle.” she told her, giving her a slight smile. “It looks worse than it is. And you weren’t yourself.” 

Raelle swallowed, trying not to get overwhelmed by her guilt. Luckily, Scylla had noticed her change in attitude, and she reassured her through the bond. Raelle smiled a little, sending back her appreciation and love. 

“Is the bond with Scylla still working?” Tally asked, noticing Raelle’s absence as she communicated with Scylla. 

Raelle nodded. “I barely even hear the voice anymore.” she told them. “It’s so much better. I’m actually in control of my own body for once.” 

Tally and Abigail nodded in sympathy, and Raelle shrunk a little under their pity. “Listen,” Raelle said, ignoring their looks. “Alder told me to spend the night here and tell you guys that she’s working on a way to release me.” 

Abigail raised an eyebrow. 

“She’s definitely not doing that.” Raelle continued. “She knows how, but she refuses to do it.” 

Tally frowned, eyes burning with anger as Abigail shook her head in disbelief. 

“I have some dirt on her, though.” Raelle said, looking up at the two of them. “She had a communication between this guy, Adil-” 

“Before you say anything,” Tally interrupted, holding up her hand. “Will you please take out those contacts? I don’t think I ever want to see you with green eyes again.” 

Abigail nodded in agreement and Raelle started, just now remembering the contacts that she had placed in her eyes a few hours ago. 

She nodded, blinking a few times before getting up from the bottom bunk of the bed and heading to the bathroom. She ignored the whispers of her unit as she took out the contacts, trying to control her squeamishness as she grabbed at the contact. 

Out of all the things to make her squeamish, it was the contacts? Raelle scoffed as she finally got the stupid green thing out of her eye, throwing it into the case and slipping it into her pocket. 

She would have to remind herself to put those back in when she returned to Alder. 

Raelle shuddered as she thought about returning to the woman. She was finally starting to relax, surrounded by her sisters and comforted by Scylla. The thought of going back to the woman who was actively attempting to enslave her was nauseating. 

Raelle calmed slightly as she felt Scylla’s presence in her head. She was becoming more attuned to Scylla’s emotions and, even though the bond had been noticeable and bizarre in the beginning, it was quickly becoming more subtle and nuanced, as if Scylla had always been a part of her. The bond was rather comforting, and it was entirely effective in blocking out the voice’s presence and the pain it normally brought.

Walking out of the bathroom, Raelle stopped as she noticed both Tally and Abigail staring at her. “What?” she asked, laughing a little bit and raising her eyebrows. 

“We’re just worried, that’s all.” Tally eyes softening as Raelle’s smile dropped from her face. “You’ve been through a lot. We understand if you-” 

“I really appreciate it, you guys,” Raelle interrupted quickly. “But even if I did want to talk about it, I can’t dwell on anything right now. I have to focus. Alder will eventually call me back to her,” Raelle took a deep breath, suppressing a shudder. “After we complete the mission, I’ll talk all you want.” 

Tally frowned, clearly upset, but understanding nonetheless. Abigail looked down, letting a deep sigh escape her. “I hate that you have to go back to the woman.” she said quietly. 

Raelle glanced over at her. It was rare that Abigail ever told them what she was feeling. “I hate it too, Abi,” Raelle said, walking over and taking a seat between her two unit partners. “But it’s for the best. It’ll be over soon.” 

Abigail nodded, recollecting herself and looking up at Raelle. She smirked slightly. “So it turns out that necro isn’t as bad as I thought.” 

Tally giggled slightly as Raelle stared pointedly at the ground. “Yeah, what’s up with this whole bond thing? You guys seem  _ very  _ close.” Tally teased, leaning into Raelle’s shoulder playfully. 

“Shut up.” Raelle said, blushing slightly, but there was a smile on her face. 

They spent much of the night like that, and Raelle almost forgot everything going on. Surrounded by her sisters, laughing with them and talking about stupid shit reminded her of a time before all this. Before the wedding and before the Spree attacked and ruined everything. 

She did ruin the mood for a few minutes as she told them of Adil and the Tarim cell. It was unfortunate that she had to bring up the mission, but she had to tell them at some point. Abigail nodded thoughtfully at the information. “We’ll talk to Anacostia in the morning, see if we can get in contact with this Adil guy. We can also try to look into the attacks on his people, maybe see what exactly is going on and where his people are being taken.”

Raelle nodded, agreeing with her plan. Tally listened to them discuss, letting out loud dramatic snores every so often for the two of them to hear. Raelle grinned stupidly, and Abigail scoffed and shoved her, saying it was serious and that Tally shouldn’t laugh, but she had a big smile on her face the whole time. 

They stayed up until the early hours of the morning, eyes drooping, but unwilling to waste any time they had together. 

Eventually, though, they all fell asleep huddled together on Raelle’s tiny bed. They didn’t come close to fitting, piled on top of each other, numerous legs left sticking off the twin mattress. Even with the uncomfortable positions and tiny mattress, the girls refused to move, unwilling to separate. They hugged each other tightly through the night, and if Tally and Abigail seemed to hug Raelle a bit closer than usual, no one commented. 

Then morning arrived. 

Inevitably, the call sounded clearly through Raelle’s head, startling her awake and jostling the pile of limbs all the girls had become during the night. 

As Raelle breathed heavily, clutching her head in pain, Tally also woke up from the commotion, noticing Raelle’s distress immediately. 

“She called you?” Tally asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she pulled herself off the mattress and moved to sit next to Raelle on the hard floor. 

Looking over, she was startled to see Raelle’s eyes flickering once again between blue and green, her face scrunched in pain. 

Alarmed, she grabbed the girl’s shoulders, forcing Raelle to look at her. “Hey, look at me,” she told her, eyes wide as Raelle gazed at her with changing eyes flickering with pain and fear. “Hey, focus on me, Raelle,” she pleaded. 

Scylla must not be awake yet. They just had to wait for her to wake up. She would surely wake up soon, with how much fear and panic Raelle was projecting right now. “Just a little longer now, Rae.” she assured, rubbing the girl’s shoulders as she groaned. 

They didn’t have a little longer. 

Abigail sat up in the bed, blinking rapidly as she woke up. Noticing the scene before her, she immediately leapt from the bed, crouching in front of Raelle and glancing at Tally in worry. Raelle herself grunted as she roughly grabbed the sides of her head in a useless attempt to block out the voice. To block out the pain. 

“Where the hell is Scylla?” Abigail asked desperately. “Why hasn’t she helped Raelle yet?” 

As if on cue, Raelle seemed to slump, breathing heavily and dropping her hands to her side once more. She looked up at the girls with piercing blue eyes, conveying her exhaustion and stress through a look. “That was a close one.” she said, sighing deeply. 

Tally and Abigail could only watch as Raelle stood up as if nothing had happened, moving to the bathroom and throwing on her contacts. She quickly brushed her teeth, splashing some water on her face and combing her fingers through her messy hair.

Exiting the bathroom, she found Tally and Abigail now sitting on the bed, waiting for her. She looked past them, grabbing a sleeveless top and cargo pants and throwing them on. 

She finally sat next to her unit as she began to put on her shoes and worked on tying up the laces. 

She hesitated as she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. Looking over, she saw both Tally and Abigail giving her a sad look. 

Raelle gazed back at them with bright green eyes.

She eventually looked back down, finishing tying her shoes and finally standing. She knew she didn’t have much time before Alder would start to get suspicious. 

As she went to leave the room, her hand hovering over the handle, she turned, fixing her unit with a meaningful look. 

“I’ll see you guys soon.” she said softly, voice cracking slightly. 

Abigail stared hard at the ground and Tally looked like she might begin crying at any moment. 

Raelle quickly left the room before she did something stupid, like stay with her unit and ignore Alder’s call. 

As she leaned against the door, a tear escaped, streaming slowly down her face as Raelle closed her eyes in emotion. 

Scylla did her best to send her feelings of comfort and reassurance as Raelle struggled to collect herself. It helped, and Raelle was able to stand up, taking a deep breath and quickly wiping the tear from her cheek. 

She cleared her face of emotion, beginning her walk towards Alder once again. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unit + Anacostia come up with a plan of action, and Raelle gets a troubling order from Alder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter before tonight's episode destroys me
> 
> We're getting close to the end, the last chapter should be out by tomorrow. Please drop me a comment if you enjoy!! Love reading you guys' comments.

“The rune invades the mind of its subject, affecting their emotions, their thoughts, and ultimately controlling their actions.” Adil told them, shaking his head. 

After Abigail and Tally had informed Anacostia of Raelle’s information, the Sergeant began to immediately work on contacting the man. 

A day or two later, they were communicating with Adil from the base, his form projecting itself into Anacostia’s office.

“The only way to stop the rune is to chant the release spell into the knife.” he continued. 

“That’s great, as long as we get our hands on the knife, then we can release Raelle!” Tally said excitedly. 

Abigail shook her head. “This just brings back our original problem, Tal,” she said. “Raelle can’t touch the knife, so she can’t get it, and Alder is way too powerful and protected for us to steal it by ourselves.” 

Adil furrowed his brows. “Wait,” he asked. “Is Raelle in control of her actions right now? Why would she be able to grab the knife at all?” 

The woman exchanged glances, debating on exactly what to tell him. Anacostia eventually stepped forward and addressed Adil. “We have established a bond between Raelle and her.... girlfriend.” she told him. “She seems to effectively keep the rune from controlling Raelle for now.” 

Adil’s eyes widened. “I’ve never heard of that working before.” he said, clearly shocked. “The bond must already be incredibly strong for something like that to actually work.” 

Abigail rolled her eyes. “Yes, we know, Adil, they love each other very much.” she said, rolling her eyes. “They don’t miss a chance to rub it in our faces.” 

“No, no, this isn’t just a matter of love, Abigail.” he said insistently. “This rune is old magic, it’s incredibly powerful. As far as I was aware, there isn’t a way to resist its thrall without the release spell. This sort of thing is unprecedented. Those witches must both be extremely gifted. Together… unstoppable.” 

Silence filled the room at that. 

“We knew Raelle was powerful,” Tally said unsurely, glancing over at the other two witches. “But Scylla too?” 

“This is irrelevant.” Anacostia interrupted. “For right now, we need to focus on releasing Raelle permanently.” 

Adil nodded. “Of course, Sergeant, but I wouldn’t ignore this development. This ‘Scylla’ could be just as powerful as Raelle, especially if they’re now connected.” 

Anacostia gave him a look. 

Adil sighed. “Repeat these words when you get the knife, and its power over Raelle will become null.  _ I release you from your service to the Goddess, forever and always.”  _ he told them. “Those words exactly.” 

“Thank you, Adil, for your help.” Anacostia said, nodding. “I will launch an investigation into your peoples’ disappearance, and I will keep it from General Alder as long as I can.” 

Adil nodded in thanks. “I hope you save your friend.” he said, waving them goodbye and fizzling out of the room. 

Silence filled the room as the witches contemplated what they had been told. 

“We should inform Ramshorn of these developments.” Anacostia said finally. “Craven, write down that chant, we don’t want anyone forgetting it.” 

Tally nodded, running to write the words down. 

Abigail hesitated. “Sergeant, what does this mean?” she asked. “About Scylla and Raelle? You heard what Adil said, that sort of bond doesn’t usually work.” 

Anacostia turned to look at her. 

“I don’t know, Bellweather.” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know.”

* * *

Goddess, her nose itched. 

Raelle had been standing guard next to Alder’s desk for hours now, and it was a struggle to not move, even a little bit. She knew the slightest hint of humanity would tip off Alder to something going on. 

The General hadn’t moved from her seat the entire time, sifting through papers and documents, occasionally signing a document or two before moving it to another corner of the mahogany desk.

Raelle internally groaned, tired of standing. Her feet hurt and her entire body itched. She was at the point of counting how many times Alder changed positions in her seat. 

Turns out that woman was stone-cold almost all the time. In the past 4 hours, Raelle had only seen her slightly move in her chair twice. She mostly worked silently on whatever report she was writing. 

Raelle wondered what all those papers were for. Why did the General spend so much of her time and effort reading these reports and signing these documents? It must be infuriating. Raelle was infuriated after a couple hours, and she wasn’t even doing any actual work. 

Raelle’s only comfort or sense of slight entertainment was Scylla. She knew that Scylla was probably just as bored as she was, sitting in her cell with nothing to do but think. 

They made a game of sending different emotions back and forth. While it was fun, it was sometimes hard for Raelle to keep from smiling or making a stupid face while trying to send an emotion to Scylla. 

Raelle could recall only an hour ago when Scylla had communicated an aroused feeling through the bond, immediately followed by amusement after Raelle’s heart almost stopped. 

She was forced to actively withhold a choking sound as her face burned a fiery red. It was lucky Alder and her Biddies were paying her no attention. She could almost see Scylla laughing at her in her cell, eyes lit up with amusement and eyes shining with unshed tears. 

Raelle couldn’t help the warm feeling that blossomed in her chest at the thought. Almost immediately, Scylla had reciprocated, and Raelle had felt truly content for the first time in weeks. 

But that had been an hour ago, and while she still internally smiled at the memory, she was incredibly bored. Her and Scylla game couldn’t last very long, as the two quickly ran out of emotions to send to each other. It was difficult, because it wasn’t real communication. She could feel Scylla all around her, and yet she couldn’t speak to her or kiss her or even look at her. 

It was awful. 

But Raelle had a mission to complete, and she knew Alder was slowly letting her guard down around her. She was accidentally showing small signs of weakness in Raelle’s presence. A yawn here and there, a bored look thrown at the clock in the corner. Once, Raelle had to keep her eyes from widening in alarm after Alder had started humming quietly as she had worked on a rather large report. 

It wasn’t much, but Raelle clung to it. Alder would never do anything like that around anyone else. It was something.

Today though, Raelle almost hoped for anything interesting to happen. She had been with the General for a few days, and occasionally, Raelle could look forward to something interesting. A meeting, or some sort of event Raelle could go to as Alder’s guard. 

Today was just boring. The most exciting thing that happened was when one of Alder’s Biddies had coughed. 

What was life becoming?

“Raelle,” Alder said suddenly, startling Raelle. She showed almost no reaction, though, as she stared straight ahead. 

Alder sighed and grabbed the knife, speaking into the blade. “Face me.” she ordered. 

Raelle immediately complied, turning to face the General. 

“Much better. Next time I say Raelle, turn to me.” Alder said, standing from her seat and walking around to stand in front of Raelle. The cadet faced her the entire time she walked, gazing at her with bright green eyes. 

“I need you to go fetch me something.” she told her, eyes narrowing, as if she knew something Raelle didn’t. 

Raelle pointedly ignored the burning hatred building in her chest. 

“In the depths of the necro building, there’s a prison housing one Scylla Ramshorn.” Alder spoke, her lips curling into a wicked smile. 

Raelle’s heart stopped. No amount of comfort from Scylla did anything to calm her down. If anything, it made her more scared. Alder wanted to speak to Scylla. Why? Why would she need to speak to her?

Raelle struggled to keep any reaction from her face. Through her terror, she kept her face impassive, as if Alder had said nothing. 

“Bring Ramshorn here.” Alder said, turning away from Raelle as she twirled the knife between her fingers. “I’d like to have a few words with her. If she struggles, don’t hesitate to use force, Collar.” 

Raelle swallowed her rage, forcing herself to remain empty and emotionless. When it was clear Alder was finished giving her order, Raelle left the room and began to walk in the direction of the Necro building, finally allowing worry and fear to pass over her face as she walked.

Scylla clearly felt her apprehension, and she projected her own feelings of confusion and worry back across the bond. She was asking what was going on, but Raelle could only feel her own overwhelming dread.

She finally reached the Necro building, taking a deep breath before she entered the structure and began walking into the depths of the base. 

The bunker was cold and empty, and Raelle suppressed a shiver at the feeling. She didn’t know how Scylla spent so much time here. This building was horrible. It felt similar to the room where the redhead had--

It was horrible. 

For once, Raelle was regretting wearing a sleeveless shirt. While the shirts normally made her feel free and a little rebellious, she now felt exposed. Not to mention how cold the hallways were. 

It was weird, she knew that training should be happening today, but she saw nobody milling around the base. There were no Necro students around the base as far as she could tell. 

It didn’t make her feel any less uncomfortable.

Shaking her head, she focused instead on finding Scylla. She knew that she had to bring Scylla to Alder. It was too early to break her cover, but at least she could warn the girl before she faced the General. 

With any luck, it would be a routine questioning about the Spree and her role in the terrorist organization. 

Raelle doubted it, but she could hope. 

While the hallways were winding and confusing, Raelle could sense Scylla at the end of the bond. The girl’s emotions were becoming more and more clear as she got closer and closer. It made navigating the dark hallways a little easier.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Raelle found herself faced with a large steel door. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door, leaning much of her weight against the heavy door in order to open it. 

She found herself faced with a long corridor that ended with a small cell. Sitting in the corner of the small cell, Scylla was sitting. The girl was clearly shocked to see her, scrambling off the ground and running over to the bars to see Raelle. 

“Raelle?” she asked, confusion clear in her tone. Raelle could feel the mix of worry and excitement her girlfriend projected. “What are you doing here?” 

Raelle grimaced in response, feeling her stomach lurch as she approached the cell door. 

Quietly, she unlocked it and embraced Scylla as the girl leapt out of the door to meet her. Raelle gave her a small questioning gaze as she spotted the girl’s bare neck. “Where’s the silencer?” she asked. 

“I was able to pick the lock with a hairpin,” she answered as if it was obvious, gesturing to the silencer thrown against the back of the cell. “Anacostia helped me out though. There’s no one standing guard, and she turned off the screeching thingie.” 

Raelle nodded, slightly surprised that Anacostia would do that. 

Scylla noticed her shock, nodding her agreement and shrugging. “Guess she doesn’t  hate my guts anymore?” she said. 

Raelle sighed. “Guess so.” she said. 

“So, you didn’t just stop by for a visit, did you?” Scylla said, taking note of the stress clear on Raelle’s face. 

“No,” Raelle confirmed, glancing up to meet Scylla’s gaze. “Alder told me to bring you to her.” 

Scylla frowned, eyes widening in alarm. “That can’t be good.” she said. 

“No.” Raelle agreed. “I’m afraid of what she’ll do, Scyl. I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

Scylla sighed, looking at the ground. “We don’t have a choice, Rae.” she said. “We can’t break your cover.” 

Raelle nodded, taking a deep breath before gesturing towards the door. “M’lady?” she offered her hand. 

Scylla chuckled. “What a gentleman.” she said, taking her hand. They began to walk towards the door, just as Anacostia burst in, followed closely by Tally and Abigail. 

“Collar?” Anacostia asked at the same time Tally and Abigail both asked “Raelle?” 

Raelle gave them a bewildered look. “What are you guys doing here?” she asked. “Alder asked me to take Scylla back to her office.” 

Their eyes widened. “That can’t be good.” Abigail said, shaking her head. 

“No.” Scylla and Raelle both agreed.

“Then we don’t have a lot of time.” Anacostia said, rushing towards the two. “We came here to tell Scylla that we found a way to release Raelle for good.” 

Raelle’s eyes widened and Scylla opened her mouth to ask how they figured it out. Anacostia held up her hand to stop her. “There’s no time, Ramshorn. You need to grab the knife and repeat these words:  _ I release you from your service to the Goddess, forever and always.”  _

Scylla nodded and repeated the words in her head, quickly committing them to memory. 

Abigail also stepped forward. “Now’s as good a time as any to try and release her. Anacostia found proof that Alder has been keeping numerous witches captive, taken from a rogue cell of witches. That’s enough to get her arrested.” 

Raelle gave them a bewildered look, opening her mouth to ask at least a dozen questions. Anacostia once again held up her hand. “Please, Private, we don’t have time. Alder is expecting you two very shortly, I would assume.” she told the two. “We will accompany you to her office and wait outside. If we hear any signs of struggle, we’ll try and help to the best of our ability.” 

Raelle swallowed her questions and nodded, turning towards Scylla. This was all happening so fast. She could only hope that they were able to get their hands on that dagger before Alder could stop them. 

Scylla gave her a reassuring look, flashing her a lopsided smile. 

Raelle leaned in and pressed her lips softly against Scylla’s, cupping her cheek and falling easily into her touch. 

They kissed for a bit longer before they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. 

They both looked over, breathing a bit heavier and finding Tally giving them an awkward wave while Anacostia and Abigail rolled their eyes. “Hate to interrupt this beautiful moment, really,” Tally said, motioning for them to get going. “But we have a date with Alder, and the longer this goes on, the more suspicious you guys look.” 

Scylla and Raelle both nodded quickly, separating and rushing towards the door, exiting the prison, closely followed by Abigail, Tally, and Anacostia.

Abigail scoffed quietly as she noticed that Raelle’s and Scylla’s hands were still tightly clasped as they rushed to leave the necro base.

As annoying as they were, Abigail couldn’t help but feel a bolt of fear run through her at the thought of anything happening to either of them. Raelle especially, but she was surprised to find herself a little worried for Scylla too. Regardless of her past mistakes and lapses in judgement, Ramshorn clearly cared deeply for Raelle, and she had risked a lot in betraying the Spree.

Abigail shook her head, willing herself to focus as the group passed the infirmary, coming closer and closer to Alder’s office. 

Tally followed everyone closely, trying her best to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. She couldn’t fight the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong. 

She could only hope that they succeeded, but it seemed unlikely. The odds were in their favor, sure, but Alder surely had some sort of trick up her sleeve.

Anacostia moved towards the office, outwardly collected and calm. Inwardly, she was nervous as hell. She was confident in Collar’s abilities, but she also personally knew how cunning Anacostia could be. One didn’t have the position she did without being prepared and smart.

Raelle and Scylla focused only on each other, gripping each other’s hand tightly and struggling to stay calm. Both girls were storming with worry and trepidation, and, since they could feel each other’s emotions, it only made the fear even worse. 

But shining through the concern and fear was the distinct love they both felt for each other. They held onto it and focused on the warm feeling it created in their chests. 

Faced with the door of Alder’s office, they both glanced at each other, nodding slightly. Raelle let go of Scylla’s hand, instead moving her own hand to grip Scylla’s bicep.

Raelle dropped the emotion from her face, once again adopting a cold mask of apathy and indifference. Scylla felt herself slump over slightly, as if Raelle had forced her to go with her. Her face became one of fear and pain as she was pushed through the door by her corpse-like girlfriend.

Abigail, Tally, and Anacostia hovered a few meters away, tense with anticipation and worry as they watched Scylla and Raelle pass through the doorway and disappear from view. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scylla and Raelle have a final confrontation with Alder, and they learn more about the bond that connects them in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn episode 7 was a trip, huh? That was brutal
> 
> Anyway, this is the last chapter, i hope you enjoy the 'finale' of sorts

“Ramshorn, Collar.” Alder addressed, giving them a wicked smile. 

Raelle remained impassive, her hand still gripping Scylla’s bicep. Scylla directed the gaze downward, struggling to control her nerves.

Raelle tried her best to communicate her reassurance while standing completely still. It did nothing to stop the storming anxiety coursing through both of them. 

“Collar, let her go,” Alder ordered her, not even bothering lifting the knife to her lips anymore, trusting that her close range to the blade would do the trick. She was convinced of Raelle’s unwilling allegiance. Raelle could only hope that she believed her act long enough for them to get the knife from her. 

Raelle released her grip on Scylla’s bicep, stepping away and standing next to her. “Come over here.” Alder told her impatiently. Raelle almost rolled her eyes at how demanding the woman was, but she couldn’t find it in herself to find it  _ that _ amusing. Alder still had much of the power in this situation, and it  _ was _ rather nerve wracking when she gave orders. Even if they were this arbitrary. 

“Your silencer is off.” Alder noted, stealing a glance at Raelle as she came to rest beside her. 

Scylla said nothing, looking up and giving the woman a hateful glare. Raelle was almost impressed by how much rage was in Scylla’s gaze, but it was probably an appropriate amount, considering all that Alder had done. 

“No matter,” Alder said, waving her hand dismissively. As if Scylla was no threat. Raelle almost laughed at the thought. Scylla might not strike many as very strong or powerful, but when she was angry, Scylla was definitely someone to watch out for. “That won’t stop us from having a nice conversation, will it?” Alder continued, raising an eyebrow at the girl. 

Scylla looked at her with a gaze that said  _ yes _ , it very much  _ would  _ stop them from doing exactly that. But she said nothing.

Alder gave her an amused smirk. 

Raelle herself had to try and control her anger at that. 

“Would you please tell me what your relationship with Private Collar was, exactly?” Alder questioned, turning her back to her and twirling the glowing knife between her fingers. A clear message that she held all the power. 

If only she knew. Scylla almost laughed. 

“Raelle and I were...close.” she answered, glaring at the woman. 

Alder smiled. “I actually remember being told that you and Collar were  _ involved. _ ” she told her. 

Scylla narrowed her eyes. “What about it?” she spat at the woman. 

“I believe I also remember the near-breakdown that Collar had after learning that her girlfriend was actually an undercover Spree agent.” Alder continued as if Scylla hadn’t spoken. 

Scylla’s expression didn’t change. Raelle herself struggled to keep her face impassive. She didn’t want Scylla to hear this. 

“I got reports that Collar was increasingly antisocial and aggressive, shutting herself in the barracks for long periods of time.” Alder spoke conversationally. 

Raelle could see Scylla start to waver. 

“She wanted to see you, you know,” Alder spoke, glancing back at Scylla as she paced. “After she woke up. I believe she almost attacked Anacostia in her rage. Her rage at hearing that the girl she loved had been  _ lying to her for months. _ ” 

Raelle felt rage begin to boil up as Alder continued.  _ Stop, stop, stop,  _ Raelle internally yelled. 

Alder continued. “She was so angry, she nearly killed everyone during a training accident.” 

_ That’s not true, that’s a lie, STOP. _

“How does that make you feel, Ramshorn?” Alder said, coming face to face with Scylla. “That your girlfriend never truly forgave you. That you caused her to almost kill her sisters. That she wanted to  _ kill you _ when she heard that you had lied.” 

Scylla stared at the ground, breathing hard as Alder spoke. She flashed back to what Abigail had said when they rescued Raelle.  _ You weren’t there when she found out….You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t kill you herself. _

She couldn’t bring herself to look at Raelle. She didn’t want to see her dead look or unmoving form. 

But she could feel the anguish and rage rolling off of her in waves. 

_ Rage at her,  _ Scylla was sure. She couldn’t control the uncontrollable guilt that consumed her wholly at Alder’s words. 

Raelle could feel Scylla’s guilt, and it overpowered any reassurance or comfort she tried to project. She struggled to control her panic as she glanced over at Scylla, who stared at the ground with a pained and defeated look. 

Alder gave the girl a triumphant smile, turning once again to face her desk. “Well, I decided that I’m going to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.” she told her. “See, you’re a loose end, Ramshorn. I can’t have you still alive to try and ‘save’ Private Collar. Even though you lied to her and used her, you seem to care for the girl for whatever reason.” 

Scylla shot the woman another hateful glare as the woman walked over to face Raelle, who was still standing completely still in front of Alder’s desk. 

Alder smiled as she faced Raelle, locking eyes with the cadet. She could see a glimmer of rage still residing in the girl’s eyes. Oh, this would be fun. 

Scylla nearly tackled the woman when she grabbed onto Raelle’s chin again, jerking her head to the side to look at Scylla. Raelle looked at her, pain clear in her eyes, but face still impassive. 

“I also thought that this would be the perfect time for Raelle to take her revenge.” Alder said, smiling as she finally released Raelle, allowing her head to turn back towards the wall, away from Scylla.

Raelle’s stomach dropped. Scylla’s eyes widened as she realized what Alder was implying. 

“You bitch,” she spat through gritted teeth, her entire body tensed with anger. She couldn’t attack Alder yet, it would destroy the element of surprise, but damn, if it wasn’t difficult to resist tackling the woman and showing her exactly what  _ revenge looks like.  _

“Collar, kill her.” Alder spoke bluntly, eyes still fixed on Scylla. 

Raelle didn’t move. 

Alder whipped her head towards the cadet, anger flashing in her eyes. “Collar!” she said forcefully, ripping the dagger from her pocket and speaking directly into the blade. “Kill. Her.” 

Raelle stepped forward towards Scylla, face blank. 

The two locked eyes, and Scylla was afraid, for a moment, that Raelle was actually under the knife’s control. The green eyes were unsettling, and Raelle was rather good at maintaining such an emotionless face. She almost sighed with relief at Raelle’s clear feeling of love projected through the bond. As their eyes met, the guilt and anger that had been all-consuming a few minutes ago seemed to dull, and a warm feeling bloomed in her chest as she felt Raelle’s love. She gave her a small smile as she returned it, ignoring Alder’s incredulous look. 

“Collar!” she yelled, stepping towards the two of them. “Why are you stopping? Kill her!” 

Raelle gave her one last look before she turned to face Alder. 

“Fuck you.” 

And with that, Raelle slammed her fist into the woman’s face, watching in satisfaction as she stumbled back in shock. Raelle released a screech, attempting to throw Alder back against the far wall, but Alder quickly deflected it with a quick windshear, throwing her own windstrike back at Raelle, tossing her bodily against the far wall, scattering books and papers across the floor of the office. 

Raelle groaned, and before she could realize what was happening Scylla was screaming with rage and locked in a battle with Alder. Anacostia, Tally, and Abigail burst into the room, hearing the commotion. They immediately went to intercept the biddies, who were rushing over to assist Alder with the raging necro. 

As Raelle’s unit and Anacostia began to defend her against Alder’s Biddies, Scylla felt herself become consumed by her anger. 

She launched herself bodily at the General, deflecting the woman’s windstrike with a windshear. She tackled the woman to the ground, landing a vicious punch against her jaw. Before she could land another, Alder growled and kicked the girl off of her, standing and screeching at her with another windstrike. 

This time, however, Scylla didn’t even flinch, waving her hand in front of her and easily deflecting the windstrike. Alder watched in shock as Scylla stood, her eyes glowing a bright blue. 

Alder stumbled back as Scylla screamed at the woman in rage. Scylla hummed a low seed in her throat, and wind swept into the room. Alder was tossed back against the glass window in the middle of the far wall. 

That glass cracked, but Alder didn’t fall through, instead collapsing back against the wooden floor with a groan. 

Scylla’s eyes suddenly widened, as if remembering something. The glow in her eyes dulled until they returned to their usual blue. She turned and ran back to the ruins of the bookshelf that Raelle had crashed into. 

Raelle groaned as Scylla ran over to her and kneeled next to her on the ground. 

“Raelle, are you okay?” she asked, grabbing Raelle’s shoulder desperately. 

Raelle coughed slightly, sitting up and beginning to stand. “I’m fine, Scyl.” she said, grabbing Scylla’s hand for support as she finally stood. “It takes more than a couple books to kill me, trust me.” 

Scylla gave her a smile. “I’m happy to hear that.” 

She opened her mouth to say more, but she was interrupted as Raelle’s smile dropped and she reached her hand out to point behind Scylla. “Scylla-” she cried, interrupted by the sight of Alder’s scourge wrapping itself around Scylla’s neck. 

Scylla’s eyes widened, and she met eyes with Raelle for a split second before she was abruptly pulled back and brutally thrown against the side wall. Picture frames fell loudly to the ground, shattering as Scylla landed hard against the ground. 

Before Alder could throw the girl again, Raelle grabbed her own scourge, whipping it out towards Alder with a cry of anger. 

Alder jumped back, dodging the rope and giving Raelle a challenging look as she wiped a trail of blood from her mouth. 

Raelle stared right back, rage burning in her eyes.

Alder scoffed slightly, finally releasing Scylla from her scourge, allowing the girl to breath as the rope unwrapped itself from the girl’s neck. 

Glancing over at Scylla collapsed at the side wall, clutching her neck in pain, Raelle saw red.

She didn’t give Alder time to react before she launched herself at the woman, swinging her scourge in a high arc over her head as she approached. 

Alder barely dodged the strike, throwing herself to the side as Raelle landed next to her, her scourge slamming against the empty space where Alder had been standing. 

Alder growled and whipped her scourge out the side, striking out at Raelle’s legs. Raelle predicted this move, however, leaping into the air over the rope, landing in a crouch. 

She snarled at Alder before she threw herself forwards, wrapping her arms around the woman and tackling her bodily to the ground. 

She landed a few strong punches to the woman’s face before Alder yelled, throwing her arm out and tossing Raelle off of her with a strong windstrike. 

Raelle groaned as she landed, sliding against the wooden floor from the force of the strike. 

She forced herself to roll to the side as she saw Alder’s scourge flying towards her in a dangerous arc above her head. 

The rope landed loudly where Raelle had been laying, and Raelle didn’t let herself dwell on it before striking out with her own scourge, throwing the rope towards Adler’s torso. 

As the scourge wrapped around the woman’s midsection, the two of them met eyes briefly before Raelle let out a cry as she pulled against the rope with all her might, swinging it in a semi-circle around her and once again launching Alder into the far wall. 

She lost her grip on her scourge as she threw Alder, letting the handle fly towards the wall along with the woman. 

Raelle breathed heavily as Alder collapsed against the ground, groaning and clutching her side in pain. 

Raelle could feel the power brewing under the surface, screaming for a release. She conceded, humming a low seed. At once, lightning began to crackle within her fingertips. 

She hesitated momentarily, briefly returning to that fateful day almost a week ago, when she had killed so many witches. 

However, after glancing over at Scylla, who was only just now standing from the ruins of the wall, she steeled herself once again, approaching Alder with rage-filled eyes.

The blue glow of the lightning created flickering shadows against the far wall, and Raelle forced herself to look at Alder, noting how she was barely conscious, pushed up against the wall, her face twisted in pain and defeat. 

Just as she was about to strike, however, she felt a hand grab her arm, stopping her motion. 

Turning, she saw Scylla, looking at her with a small smile. 

Raelle found herself turning towards the girl she loved and away from Alder, the lightning beginning to disappear from her hands. Scylla cupped her cheek, and Raelle began to come down from her rage, love blossoming in her chest at the look Scylla gave her. 

“Hey,” Scylla said softly. “I’m fine, Raelle.” 

Raelle closed her eyes as she melted into Scylla’s touch. “Okay,” she whispered, nodding. She finally slumped over, the anger leaving her body. All she felt now was tired. 

Scylla touched her forehead to Raelle’s as they embraced. 

Raelle finally leaned back after a few seconds, glancing over to the other side of the office, where Abigail and Tally were standing over the fallen Biddies, breathing heavily. Anacostia was leaned against one of the tables, weight placed mostly against her right leg. 

A few fallen Biddies lay next to her, still breathing, just unconscious. 

Raelle looked back at Scylla, smiling slightly. “We did it,” she said softly. 

“We did.” Scylla responded with a smile of her own, one that was reserved for just Raelle. 

As their eyes met, Raelle and Scylla both sighed with relief. 

And then there was a sound behind Raelle. A shard of glass cracking underfoot. 

And then Raelle’s eyes widened and she let out a choked gasp, her back arching as Alder embedded the glowing knife into her back.

Alder let out a cry as she ripped the dagger back out, blood flying in the air as she did. 

Raelle met Scylla’s gaze as she began to collapse, eyes brimming with pain and shock. 

Scylla fell to her knees as Raelle fell, her hands held out helplessly, as if she could still stop Alder from stabbing the girl who collapsed in front of her, blood leaking rapidly from her trembling from. Distantly, Scylla could hear screams coming from Abigail and Tally. A shocked Collar!” from Anacostia. Alder had collapsed once again, clutching her side in pain, but smiling triumphantly nonetheless as she clutched the glowing dagger. It was slick with blood. Raelle’s blood. 

At once, the world stopped. 

And Scylla screamed. 

Alder was thrown backwards, slamming against the back wall with a sickening crack. The windows shattered and the books flew from the shelfs. Wind viciously cut through the room, pushing everything away from the spot where Raelle lay. Thunder and lightning thundered through the room, a dangerous storm brewing above them. 

Scylla couldn’t see or hear any of it. 

She ignored the alarmed yells of Tally and Abigail, the angry orders from Anacostia to calm down. 

She only saw Raelle, collapsed in front of her, her limp form trembling as she groaned quietly. 

Scylla cupped Raelle’s cheek, not feeling the numerous tears that slipped from her own eyes and streamed down her cheek. 

Raelle looked up at her, smiling weakly as she looked at Scylla. 

Her hand reached out, gripping Scylla’s hand too weakly to be comforting. Scylla squeezed her hand back anyway. 

“You’re so  _ beautiful _ .” Raelle said once again. And Scylla couldn’t handle this. She couldn’t. Raelle wasn’t going to die. She couldn’t. She couldn’t just leave Scylla alone.

Raelle seemed to sense her thoughts, squeezing her hand a bit tighter. 

The emotions between the two melted, and Scylla suddenly couldn’t tell which feelings were Raelle’s and which were her own. She could feel Raelle’s very being surrounding her as she began to die. Scylla gasped as she began to feel her and Raelle’s energies colliding. 

She could feel the power boiling under Raelle’s skin, the turmoil brewing deep within her, the grief that wrapped a tendril around her heart. 

And, in her heart, she knew that Raelle was feeling the same thing. She could feel Scylla’s guilt, her indecision, and the same grief that overwhelmed her as well. 

More than that, Scylla could feel Raelle’s power brewing under her own fingertips as they began to connect. 

She knew that Raelle’s power had become her own, and she was willing to bet that Raelle now possessed new abilities from Scylla.

At that realization, she suddenly had a crazy idea. 

Reaching out, Scylla placed her hand over Raelle’s wound, the other still tightly clutching Raelle’s hand. She could feel Raelle’s healing abilities in her own fingertips, and she struggled to harness it. 

_ Fuck, what is that damn chant she always says,  _ Scylla thought desperately. 

“Seek, and ye shall find, uh,” Scylla stuttered. “Knock, and,  _ shit, shit, what is it?” _

Raelle suddenly looked up at her, fixing her with a small smile. She squeezed Scylla’s hand as Scylla gazed down at her helplessly. 

“Ask, and it shall be given to you,” Raelle whispered, and Scylla’s eyes widened as she began to speak with Raelle. “Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you,” they spoke together, their voices effortlessly melding together. 

Anacostia, Tally, and Abigail watched in shock as the storm began to fade and a golden light seemed to surround the area where Scylla and Raelle lay. 

“For everyone that asketh, receiveth,” they continued, their voices seeming to echo through the room. “And he that seeketh findeth. To him that knocks, it shall be _open_.” 

They finished, and the golden light ebbed away. 

Tally began to hesitantly approach the two. “Raelle?” she called.

Abigail held her arm out in front of Tally protectively, preventing her from moving any closer to the pair. 

Scylla and Raelle lay in the center of the room, breathing heavily and lost in each other's gaze. “Did it work?” Scylla asked hesitantly

Raelle groaned as she began to sit up, nodding at Scylla. Scylla narrowed her eyes skeptically as she quickly stole a glance at Raelle’s back. The shirt was still ripped where the knife had entered, and the cloth was covered in blood, but the wound seemed to be missing. 

“You’re not hurt, are you?” Raelle asked quickly, pulling Scylla towards her and peeking over her shoulder to look at her back. Aside from a few shards of glass stuck in her shirt, she wasn’t wounded.

“Why don’t you have it?” Raelle asked, eyebrows furrowed. “You just healed me.” 

Scylla looked right back at her, just as mystified. 

Anacostia answered instead. “Your energies combined,” she explained, awe clear in her voice as she began walking towards the two. “There was enough power to heal the both of you, with plenty left over.”

Raelle and Scylla looked over at her, clearly still confused, but they dismissed it when Tally ran over them, embracing them both in tight hugs. 

Abigail quickly followed behind, hugging Raelle tightly before turning to Scylla and giving her a firm nod. Scylla returned the nod, her head rested on Tally’s shoulder as they embraced. 

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, just being together. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them, grabbing the witches’ attention. 

“Would anyone care to do the honors?” Anacostia asked, holding out the glowing green knife. Scylla’s eyes widened as she remembered the knife and the rune. Glancing over, she gazed at Alder’s limp body in the corner of the room. The knife was no longer loosely grasped in her hand. 

Anacostia noticed her look. “She’s alive, but barely.” she said. “She probably has plenty of broken bones. You threw her pretty hard, Ramshorn.” 

Scylla struggled to withhold a smile. That was probably inappropriate, she had almost killed a woman. But, she couldn’t help the satisfaction that flowed through her at hearing that she had hurt the woman. 

The witches stood from where they were crouched in the center of the room. As Raelle stood, she blanched at the large pool of blood still staining the ground where she had lain. Wow, she had been closer to dying than she had thought. 

Abigail and Tally grabbed her hands as Scylla stepped forward to take the knife from Anacostia. 

“You remember the words, right, Ramshorn?” she asked, placing the hilt in Scylla’s waiting hands. 

“I would never forget those words.” Scylla muttered, turning back towards Raelle, who was gripping her unit’s hand so hard, her knuckles were turning white. Abigail and Tally didn’t seem to mind, though, squeezing Raelle’s hand just as hard in anticipation. 

Scylla raised the blade to her mouth, a soft smile curling on her lips as she locked eyes with Raelle. 

“I release you from your service to the Goddess, forever and always.”

* * *

“Your plan worked perfectly, Commander.” the man said, walking into the base of commands. “Collar and her companions were able to expose and take down Alder. They found and freed numerous witches taken from the Tarim cell under Fort Salem.”

A redheaded woman sat at the center of the room, intently focused on the monitors lined against the far wall. Numerous Spree agents were shown through hidden cameras and security feeds carrying out various orders. 

A smile curled around the redhead’s lips. “Scylla might have betrayed us, but she served her purpose.”

The man nodded. “The two of them connected, just as you anticipated.” 

“Excellent.” the woman responded, turning to face her colleague. 

“We are the Spree.” she said. “And it’s time to strike.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you want me to continue in another fic, maybe make this a series. I'm having trouble coming up with concrete ideas for the story, but i have a few plot threads bouncing around in my head. Maybe comment where you would like me to take it, or any personal ideas if you think I should continue. I hope you enjoyed!!


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